Cafe Half-Caff
by Dyde21
Summary: Desperate for a job to support himself, and ease the burden on his mom, Percy takes yet another new job as a waiter. This time at an extremely popular local cafe called "Cafe Half-Caff". This new blonde girl who is his manager quickly begins to make his life interesting, along with the rest of the crazy staff at this cafe. Cafe!AU Long running fic.
1. The Orientation

My new large project! More info after, enjoy!

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Percy shoved his hands just a little farther into his sweatshirt pockets as a shiver racked his spine. He was really starting to regret not bringing the jacket his mom had recommended. Nestling up in the corner of the doorway, between the glass pane and the slight lip of the brick wall, Percy tried to hide from the wind chill. 7:30 was far too early for orientation. In fact, if he wasn't so desperate for this job he would have seriously considered just looking for another job. Clearly anyone who could schedule an appointment like this had to be heartless.

Pulling out his phone, he stared at the screen through the slight fog of his breath.

 _7:02_

Great. Only 28 minutes left to go.

He had spent the past night at his mom's, partially because she wanted to give him some advice to actually keep this job, and partially just because he missed her. Moving out had made him miss her more than he thought he would.

Unfortunately, his mom had gotten a call early that morning that owner of the candy shop she worked at wanted to meet with her, mentioning a promotion. Which meant that she wouldn't be able to drive Percy to work like she had promised, so he could either walk there on his own, or be dropped off early. He had opted for the later, hence finding himself waiting around in the crack of dawn for orientation from some cruel person who would subject him to this.

Mentally, he made a note to never get picked up by his mom again, he refused to lose access to his car. There was no way he would suffer this ungodly fate again. He also made a note never to visit Canada. Any place this cold couldn't be that great.

Sliding down the wall, he got settled in the corner as he pulled his knees up to his chest and shivered in the breeze. It was slowly getting warmer, but his breath was still visible in the fall morning. A yawn escaped his lips as he pulled his hood more over his head. Shifting his weight to get a little more comfortable in his cranny, he let his eyes slide shut.

He wasn't exactly used to waking up this early. He figured he wouldn't pass out, but resting up just a bit before orientation would probably be a good thing. He needed all the energy he could get, especially considering he wasn't the best at learning new things quickly and he desperately wanted to make a good impression.

He would just close his eyes for a moment, that was it.

What Percy hadn't expected to happen, was to feel something nudging his foot. Opening his eyes, he was surprised to see a pair of shockingly gorgeous gray eyes and curly blonde hair staring back at him with an amused smirk.

"You drool when you sleep." Was all she said before she stood up again.

Quickly wiping away the drool on his face, mentally dying on the inside Percy quickly scrambled to his feet. "Uh- sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep. I'm just waiting for..."

"Orientation, right? I take it you're Percy Jackson, the new guy?" The voice asked, the amused tone still in her voice. "I'm surprised you could sleep in this weather." She offered, stepping back.

Percy ducked his head, hoping the rosy color in his cheeks looked like wind chill versus the blush that was currently dominating him.

Of course the person training him had to not only wake him up, but also be almost criminally attractive.

"It's early." He muttered. "I haven't gotten up this early... ever."

The blonde just laughed, her laugh sounding like wind chimes to Percy. Utterly unfair. She held out one of the two cups she held in her hand. "Here's a peace offering for calling you out so early. I don't know what kind of coffee you like so I got you hot chocolate. I hope that's okay." She said, her voice trailing off slightly at the end in a hint of worry.

Taking the cup gratefully, Percy took a sip.

"Wait! It's a li-" She winced as she saw Percy flinch. "A little hot..." She finished.

Ignoring the scorching pain and increasing numbness in his mouth Percy smiled. "Thank you... uh..."

The girl's eyes widened as she realized she hadn't introduced herself. Offering her hand, she smiled a bit sheepishly. "Annabeth Chase. I'm one of the two managers here."

Percy shook her hand, impressed with her firm grip. He quirked an eyebrow. "Manager?" He muttered a bit subconsciously.

A challenging smirk crossed Annabeth's face. "Is that a problem?"

Quickly shaking his head Percy raised his hands in a show of peace. "I'm just impressed. I think we're the same age, and you're already a manager."

"I've been here for years." She replied with a slight shrug, though Percy saw the proud grin she was trying to suppress. Looking him over for a minute, she tilted her head slightly. "22?"

"23." Percy replied.

"Same here." She offered, before a shiver wracked her spine. "Let's get inside. I'm not like you, I don't enjoy sleeping in the cold. I prefer the nice heater we have."

She fished out a set of keys as she unlocked the door, holding it open for him.

Quickly ducking into the cafe, Percy looked around curiously. He had only been in there twice before. Both times swarming with customers. Once to drop off his resume, once for an interview with a girl named "Reyna."

The cafe was pretty simple, but elegant. Most of the outside walls were glass planes, and various booths littered the walls. A spread of tables dotted the floor, all with the chairs upside down on them. The far back wall had the three registers, and the wall of various prepackaged coffee beans. One side of the counter was a massive display case that usually contained various pastries and other food. Behind the display Percy could see what looked like a kitchen window, and the echoes of some sort of kitchen beyond it.

The color scheme was a earthy green and black, very sleek and pleasant. Not too fancy, but also nice enough.

Subconsciously taking another sip as he looked around, Percy winced as he burned the roof of his mouth again. Right. Lava was in his cup.

"It looks completely different in the morning without all the people here. Much cleaner and organized, I wouldn't get too used to it though." Annabeth offered as she unwrapped her scarf and moved behind the counter. "You coming? Or are you deciding what to order." She teased.

Percy had jumped at her voice, momentarily forgotten she was there. Luckily he hadn't squeezed too hard because he really didn't want to spill burning coffee all over himself on his first day. He had made enough of an impression already.

He followed her a bit nervously towards the back, starting to feel some nerves set in.

Annabeth lead him to a small room off to the side of the back. Inside was a table, some lockers, a sink, and a fridge. It was small, but organized well. It felt bigger than it was, much like the front of the shop.

"This is the break room. Your locker is the top right one. You can bring a lock if you like, but we all trust each other here. Nothing's gone missing yet. Well, aside from some food from the fridge. I'd put your name on that." She offered, a light-hearted smile on her face.

Annabeth quickly deposited her bag into her locker.

Quickly pulling off his hoodie, Percy bunched it up and put in the back of his locker. When he freed his head, he could have sworn he saw Annabeth's eyes staring at him for a moment, but a heart beat later and she was looking down at a phone so he figured he was imagining it.

He dumped his keys in the locker as well before he closed it, turning around to find Annabeth leaning against the table.

"I heard good things about you from Reyna. I'm sure you know this, but she's the other manager. Also the only person aside from the owner who has been here longer than me. A bit of advice, I'd try to stay on her good side. She's a nice person, but she takes her job seriously and will do what it takes to keep this place as successful as it has been. You do good work, and you'll be treated well." Annabeth offered with a friendly smile.

Nodding, Percy made a mental note of that.

"But... I read that this is your 5th job this year?" Annabeth asked, raising an eyebrow with a relatively neutral expression.

Percy's head drooped again. Great. Lifting it, he looked back at her with a sheepish grin as she scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, I have... bad luck. Trouble has a way of finding me, or so I hear. I promise you I will work hard." He said a bit too earnestly. He needed this job. He couldn't go home to his mom with bad news again.

Annabeth studied him for a moment carefully. "I believe you." She said after a moment. She nodded to herself, as if satisfied with the answer to another unspoken question. "We'll just have to keep you out of trouble then." Pulling out a bag from another locker, she tossed it at him. "You said you were a medium, right? Put that on and meet me in the front. There's a bathroom over the-" Her voice trailed off.

Percy raised an eyebrow, in the middle of shimmying the new shirt on, his old one discarded onto the table. Realizing he probably should have just stripped his shirt off in front of his new manager, he quickly pulled it down. "Sorry! I'm sorry. I just wanted to be quick..."

"It's" Annabeth's coughed once. "It's okay. I just wouldn't do that around Hazel." She offered, turning and walking away quickly.

Percy could have sworn her cheeks had looked a little pink. He paused for a moment to drop his head against the lockers with a soft thud. He had known his manager for all of 10 minutes and he had already screwed up so many times. If he made it through the day it would be a miracle.

Quickly following his new manager out, he saw her starting to flip the chairs back down so he joined her.

"Normally you most likely won't be opening, but it's easier to teach you the ropes before everyone gets here. Easier to answer questions, the like. Speaking of which, _please_ ask questions. I'd rather answer your question, than clean up your mess." Annabeth explained, a smirk on her face.

Percy nodded, setting down another chair. "So... Reyna mentioned I was a waiter?" He asked, a bit confused. Most cafe's didn't have waiters of this size.

Nodding, Annabeth motioned for him to follow as she moved back behind the counter.

"You'll be a waiter/cashier. We usually get pretty busy during the days, so when things are hectic we'll have you be a runner. We also may have you be a cashier if it's slower or we need the extra hands at the registers."

Percy nodded, a clearly a bit nervous. Handling money was a scary prospect for him. He saw Annabeth purse her lips for a moment before she scooted over and gestured. "Here, it's not that bad. I'll teach you the ropes."

About ten minutes later, Percy had managed to successfully enter three orders. Annabeth beamed next to him, clasping a hand on his back. "Good job. You'll get the hang of it in no time, and we won't leave you stranded while you learn. I'll be here if you get stuck or have questions." She promised.

Grinning in return, Percy turned to face the blonde. "You're a really good teacher. I'm not sure many other people could have taught me that."

Annabeth just scoffed. "Give yourself more credit. You're smarter than you think."

Before Percy could reply, there was a knock on the door. Instantly his heart sank to his stomach. He wasn't ready for the day yet.

Sensing his distress apparently, Annabeth just laughed. "Don't worry. It's just Leo and Hazel. One of our chefs, and one of our bakers respectively. They have to get here early to prep for the day." She explained, moving over to open the doors and let them in.

They had both been in the middle of some conversation when they froze and saw him.

"Hey there new guy! I'm Leo. Don't worry, I'll take you under my wing." The Latino boy said happily as he walked in, offering a big grin and a wave.

The younger girl walked up closer, offering a friendly smile. "Nice to meet you, my name is Hazel. You're the new waiter, right?" She asked, with a slight tilt to her head.

Nodding, he highfived Leo who seemed to be holding out for him, before turning to Hazel. "Yeah. My name's Percy. Nice to meet you."

Hazel just nodded. "By the way, what's your favorite pastry?" She asked, a slight glint in her eye.

Percy was caught off guard, but thought for a moment. "Probably those bear claws. The ones with the apple in them?"

Hazel nodded, still beaming. "I love those too! That's good to know." She said, a slight wink before she headed towards the backroom with Leo.

Annabeth just grinned. "Don't worry, you'll love them. Leo's a bit crazy but he's a good cook. Hazel is also a bit young, but our best baker. Her treats are to die for. If she offers you one, never say no." Annabeth said with a laugh.

Percy nodded. "Right.

Reaching under the counter, Annabeth handed Percy a half apron. "Here, this will be useful. Today will be just you and Jason. But it's also our slowest day of the week so we shouldn't have too much traffic. Speaking of which..." She trailed off as she moved to let two more people into the shop.

A blonde boy and a girl with a feather in her hair both entered the shop.

"Oh! You must be the new boy. I heard Reyna talking about you. I'm piper, pleased to meet you." She said, offering a handshake. Immediately she walked over to one of the espresso machines and started making something.

"Piper, we're not supposed to make ourselves drinks." Annabeth warned half-heartedly.

"Don't worry, I'm making you one too. Besides, you owe me this, calling me in early and everything." She said.

Annabeth just rolled her eyes, but didn't argue. Seeing Percy's amused, and slightly confused expression the manager decided to explain. "We've been friends since high school. That's why she doesn't show me any respect. She's also the primary cashier usually, and works the espresso machines."

"When she's working, our job is pretty easy. She's quick and customers love her so our lines are shorter." The boy offered. Offering a firm handshake he continued. "Jason. I think I've seen you around campus. Swim team, right?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Percy nodded. "Yeah. You... soccer, right?"

Jason nodded as well. "Yeah."

Annabeth clicked her tongue. "Swim team." She muttered to herself, as if she had answered a question that had been plaguing her.

Piper walked over, and whispered something that had Annabeth's cheeks turn red and had her swat her best friend's shoulder. "I could have you fired for that."

"Nah." Was Piper's only response.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, taking the drink offered. "No respect. Don't pick up those habits from her Percy." She warned, half teasing.

A grin crept on Percy's face. It seemed like this place would be pretty fun. Which was a relief, considering he planned on sticking with this job as long as fate would let him.

"Anyone else coming in today?" Jason asked as he returned from the break room, tying his own half apron around his waist.

Annabeth thought for a moment. "I think Reyna wanted to drop by at some point and check in on how Percy's doing. Frank has mid shift, he'll be by later. Aside from that, other than the evening crew, it's just us."

Still standing there a bit awkward, Percy perked up as he smelled something amazing starting to come from the back room.

"That'll be Hazel's magic. She's a magician in the oven, I swear." Jason offered, sniffing the air himself.

Laughing slightly, Percy felt his nerves ease ever so slightly.

"We're opening up in thirty." Annabeth announced, returning from her office with a clipboard. "Percy, come with me. We have some more paperwork for you to do. Jason, take care of front prep please? Piper help him out." Annabeth instructed as she moved Percy back towards the break room.

They all offered some form of acknowledgment as Percy saw begin some well rehearsed routine.

About twenty five minutes of tedious paperwork later, Annabeth finally straightened the stack on the table before she put it away. Offering him a sympathetic smile, she cocked her hip. "That's done with finally. Now you can legally work here and all that. And..." She checked her watch. "Just in time."

Leading him back out, Percy was surprised by the different atmosphere in the cafe. There was the subtle smell of a mix of baking and food from the back kitchen area that made the place more inviting. Coffee was boiling from the front, and all the tables had been wiped down and looked ready to go. Jason was sweeping a bit, and Piper was filling out some log near the registers.

"Here we go." Annabeth said, glancing over at Percy.

Apparently the sense of dread and fear that washed over him was visible as he felt Annabeth rest a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it's going to be okay. Jason will have your back today, and we're all here if you need help. You'll do fine, don't worry. I'll cut you some slack today." She said a playful tone masking a genuine promise.

Percy felt his nerves calm down to a dull throb and nodded. He could do this. He wouldn't screw this job up like the others. Too much was riding on it, and he was honestly looking forward to working with everyone.

Moving to the front, Annabeth offered him one last friendly grin before she flipped the close sign to open.

"We're open now. Good luck everyone."

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Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! I'm planning on turning this into a massive, long running story. I'm still forming the major beats of the story, and fleshing out all the details of this AU. This chapter is also a bit shorter than I want the rest to be. I was just super eager to get this first chapter posted, and it's also sort of checking interest. Please, drop a review at least for this chapter if you are interested. It really helps me stay motivated, and I will continue this either way, but it's reassuring to hear if anyone is interested in this. I think it will be fun, full of fluff, antics, and some mild drama!

This will also be cross posted on my Tumblr of the same name, Dyde21. I'm more likely to answer questions you may have over there, if you have anyway. I also have more of my Percabeth fics posted there as well.

Either way, thank you very much for reading! I hope you all have a wonderful week.


	2. The Rush

Thank you everyone who has expressed interest! I really do hope you continue to enjoy this story, and I have quite a few plans for this. More after the chapter!

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Annabeth felt a bit embarrassed after her "good luck" to Percy. The morning had been awkwardly dead. Their opening had been rather slow, and it had been about thirty minutes before any customers had even shown up.

Leo and Hazel were chatting lazily in the back as they both continued their prep work, while Jason had decided to get a head start on switching out some of the coffees they had on display. As the season turned towards fall, and the winter holidays, they were rotating their stock to be a bit more appropriate for the time.

Piper in the mean time had taken to grilling Percy, chatting him up and trying to get to know him, while helping break the tension in the air. This had brought a smile to Annabeth's face. She had known Piper for _years,_ they were best friends. She knew that she was the perfect person to ease Percy into working here, and that she genuinely did want to become his friend. Piper had a habit of bringing people together like that. All the more reason she was glad she had managed to schedule this crew for Percy's first day. It wasn't often they got new employees. She wished she could have gotten Frank too, but there wasn't enough reason to justify having him come in in the morning on a slow day. Percy would meet him soon enough anyway.

Annabeth herself was filling out some more paperwork in order to get Percy squared away. Purely incidentally near where Piper was practically interviewing Percy. There just so happened to be a nice table open nearby. She had no interest in eavesdropping on their conversation to learn more about him. Nope. None at all. It wasn't her fault if she happened to overhear a word or two every once in a while.

Even if she couldn't quite admit it to herself, Annabeth _did_ have an interest in the new boy. To her, he was just fascinating. Out all of her time working, never had she shown up to see the new trainee sleeping on their doorstep. Never mind one who was drooling with a goofy, or adorable if she was honest, smile on his face.

The fact he had also gone through so many jobs in the span of the year, while also seemingly to be an alarmingly honest and friendly guy was also a mystery to her. Trouble or no, he didn't seem like the kind of guy to intentionally screw up a job. Surely he couldn't be that bad of a screw up, right? At least that was the bet she was taking. She knew if she ended up having to fire in him a few days Reyna would never let her live it down. But judging by how fast he picked up the register she had a feeling he was smarter than he, or most others, believed.

Her interest was purely based off how interesting of an asset he could be to the store. It had nothing to do with the fact he was seemingly air-headed enough to start changing in a room with her, showing her his alarmingly well toned body. A swimmer's body, according to Jason. _Of course_ he had to have a swimmers body.

Shaking her head, she found herself staring at his chest subconsciously. Her eyes flicked up, to see him staring back at her with an utterly confused expression, next to Piper who was grinning like the devil. Internally Annabeth groaned. She knew the second they all clocked out, Piper would be all over her about him.

She flashed Percy what she hoped was a warm smile, which he seemed to accept and return. Thank God for his ignorance. Her gaze shifted over to Piper, turning into an intense glare, but the Cherokee woman just laughed, winking at her, before going back to listening to Percy.

Before Annabeth could finish weighing the pros and cons of firing her best friend to avoid dealing with her about this, the little bell on top of the door jingled, signaling their first customer.

Everyone perked up at the sound. Annabeth saw Percy's eyes shift towards hers, a sense of panic building up in them. Before she could respond with any sort of encouragement, Piper had already shoved him towards the register, flashing the customer a bright smile before chirping up. "He'll be right with you when you're ready." She said happily, moving over towards the machines to be ready to prepare the order.

Torn between amused and apologetic, Annabeth just looked back down at her paperwork as they let the customer look the menu over.

Glancing up, Annabeth saw Percy's hand rapidly drumming on the counter as he plastered on a smile that hardly concealed the nerves he was so obviously feeling. She did feel bad for him, remembering back to her first day. But she also knew he had to get used to it eventually, and a lone customer early in the morning was by far the best opportunity she could give him.

Eventually the woman decided as she stepped forward. "Hi! Can I get a White Mocha with _a lot_ of cream please?" She asked, a beaming smile on her face.

Annabeth had to bite her lip to suppress her grin at the wide eyed expression Percy got. She had to admit it, he looked a little adorable when flustered. She saw him freeze for a moment, clearly forgetting everything he had learned. Before she could step up though, she saw him close his eyes, take a deep breath, and she saw his mouth count to three. He opened his eyes and began to hesitantly press buttons. A moment later, she screen flickered and the order popped up correctly. Unable to suppress the proud grin on her face, Annabeth gave Percy two quick thumbs up. His goofy grin returned, before he accidentally ripped the receipt in half.

Slapping her hand over her mouth, Annabeth did her best to suppress her laughter. If it was Piper, she would have been merciless, but she figured she should be professional and supportive of the new guy. For now, at least.

Luckily the customer just offered a friendly laugh and reassured him that it was no problem. Meanwhile Piper was cracking up behind him, muttering something a good start. Mentally, Annabeth made a note to herself to teach him how to print of a copy of a receipt. Some work places needed receipts, so tearing one could be a problem. Marking down a note on her hand, she went back to working on the paper work.

Piper had congratulated Percy, and this time it seemed like Jason had stepped up and started chatting with Percy.

Again, Annabeth was glad she worked with such a fun crew of people. The last thing she wanted any new employee to feel was to feel out of place. Luckily, between Jason and Piper, she knew Percy would feel home before long. Hopefully, at least.

The morning continued on at a rather slow pace. Between the occasional customer, and Piper and Jason's friendly chatter, Annabeth could see Percy's nerves slowly settle. Finishing the paperwork, she stretched out her wrist before she went back into her office to file it. Annabeth was never a particularly big fan of paperwork, her dyslexia and ADHD making it hard for her to focus on it for long. It took enough effort to keep her effectively studying and working for school, mind-numbing paperwork was a whole different challenge.

Setting it down on the desk for Reyna to finish up later, she moved back to the floor. Judging by the time, the pace should be starting to pick up by her estimations. Moving to the back, she figured she should touch base with Hazel and Leo. She had kind of been neglecting them while she kept an eye on Percy.

Walking into the back room, she was greeted with the usual sight. Hazel was diligently working. She had a few different trays being prepped. Her half of the kitchen was clean, at least as far as bakeries were concerned. The flour explosion was kept to a minimum, and she bounced from table to table, preparing efficiently and smoothly. All the while humming a gentle tune Annabeth didn't recognize, but seeing Hazel work made Annabeth's shoulders relax ever so slightly. Something about the slightly younger girl just felt... homey. The pressure of managing a business slipped away and it almost felt like a girls night where she just got together and baked with her friends.

Finally noticing Annabeth, Hazel looked up and flashed her a smile. "Everything is going smoothly back here. Percy seems to be doing okay too! He seems friendly!" She offered happily, clearly glad that she approved of the new hiree. Annabeth knew the girl could be a bit of a worrier from time to time, so Hazel's approval took some pressure off her shoulders.

Turning to Leo, Annabeth felt the tension in her shoulders increase ever so slightly.

Almost in stark contrast to Hazel's calmer, warmer kitchen, Leo was a bit of a firecracker.

They always made sure to clean the kitchen at the end of every night, but his already looked like it was 5 hours into his shift. It was certainly... used. A small radio in the back corner was playing music faintly, but Leo was bouncing around the kitchen like it was blaring. He bounced from station to station, pausing his dance only for a moment to carefully prepare the dish. Annabeth had to swear some of the mess he made was intentional. Annabeth knew that Leo took his job surprisingly serious, and that always made sure to follow proper sanitation procedures. But she wasn't sure she could offer a better word to describe him than... chaos. Honestly, even after all this time she still had no idea how Frank worked so well with him, they were like opposites. They had some weird chemistry that Annabeth would never understand, but she certainly appreciated it. They both did very impressive work, and made her job much easier.

Pausing in the middle of his little hip sway, he spotted Annabeth. "Yo, boss! Hungry? What can I get you?" He asked, pulling a notepad out of somewhere and a pen, and holding it up dramatically.

Annabeth just rolled her eyes fondly. "Just seeing if the kitchen was on fire yet. You've been here a while, so I was getting nervous without seeing smoke.

Leo just scoffed. "Please. Fire's got nothing on me. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to continue preparing my _feast_."

Quirking an eyebrow, Annabeth tilted her head. "What feast?"

"Breakfast sandwiches." He offered with a smug look.

She stared at him with a deadpan expression for a moment. "You make that every morning."

Leo shrugged. "And we're always busy. _You're welcome._ "

Rolling her eyes, Annabeth walked back towards the front of the shop with a small smile. Crazy or not, Leo was a little ball of sunshine in their shop that could always keep spirits up.

As Annabeth pushed through the small door, she saw Percy and Jason both working the registers, while Piper worked the coffees. It was still pretty slow, but just starting to pick up pace. She guessed they were pacing Percy, getting him used to things before the rush hit in a bit.

As Annabeth was about to go back into her office, the door jingled again and a familiar pair of faces entered. A small smile crept on her face as a soft sigh escaped her at the sight.

She saw Percy open his mouth to greet them when Piper leaned over the counter. "Ashe! Tyler! It's been forever."

The raven haired pair walked up to Piper, the girl beginning to chat happily with her while the boy scanned the menu, as if he didn't already know what he was going to order. They stood arm in arm, Ashe's arm wrapped around Tyler's waist as they stayed glued at the hip.

Seeing Percy's confused expression, she moved over and stood behind him. Tapping his shoulder, she leaned over when he gave her his attention.

"Who..." He asked gently.

"The girl is Ashe, the guy is Tyler. They're one of our regulars here. You'll probably see them here quite often."

Percy nodded, finally understanding.

Pausing for a moment, Annabeth debated how much to explain. Glancing over, she saw Piper was still chatting with Ashe, but Ashe had said something and soon Tyler was dragged into the conversation. Figuring there was still some time before they ordered, she turned back to Percy.

"They've been coming here for years. Originally they were just friends, but Piper and I started a bet on when they would get together. If you ask Piper, she'll take credit for them finally getting together. A lot of conversations and free drinks, and some gentle encouragement and Tyler had finally asked her out. Piper practically threw a party the first day they walked in hand in hand and she saw them kiss. She actually bought a round of coffee for all of us." Annabeth finished recalling fondly. "Since then, they come in pretty regularly. Piper says she likes to check in on her hard work."

Percy just laughed, and Annabeth found the sound a bit intoxicating. It was honest and genuine, like he was.

"Long story short, if Piper finds someone she think is a match for you, don't expect to stay single for long." She said, her tone a mix between complaining and fond recollection.

Percy raised an eyebrow. "I take it that happened to you?"

Shaking her head, she shrugged. "Nah. Piper says she hasn't found anyone just right for me. She's also pretty harsh of whoever I'm interested in."

Percy pouted slightly. "Sounds rough."

Annabeth shrugged. "It's because she cares, is all. I'd look out though for yourself." She paused a bit awkwardly. "Unless you already have someone of course."

"No!" Percy said a bit too quickly. A rosy tint slowly crept onto his cheeks. "I mean no, I don't."

Annabeth nodded. "I see." There was the faintest moment of awkward silence, before they both jumped at the sound of someone slamming the counter.

Turning sharply, she was surprised to see an amused looking Ashe with her hands on her counter, and an apologetic Tyler.

"That was rude." He mumbled, nudging her in the side.

Ashe just cackled a bit. "Sorry. Piper told me to stop their flirting on work hours."

Piper just snickered from behind the coffee grinder.

Annabeth shook her head. "We weren't flirting." She muttered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Ashe quirked an eyebrow, a smirk on her lips. "Sure. You weren't flirting, and Tyler is loves getting up in the morning." She replied sarcastically.

Tyler just tickled her side, making her squirm briefly before he kissed the top of her head. "Don't be rude to the staff. They've been good to us."

Ashe just leaned into Tyler a bit more. "I know. I'm not a kid." She muttered defiantly.

Tyler just laughed, pulling her a bit closer. Turning to Percy, he read his name tag. "Nice to meet you Percy. I'm Tyler, as I'm sure they've said. This here is Ashe. I'll get a large hot chocolate, extra whip cream please. Ashe will have caramel fra-" He squirmed as Ashe nudged him. "She'll have the Pumpkin Spice Frappucino, large."

Percy nodded, quickly trying to enter their order.

The second the screen flashed the amount, he found himself staring at Tyler's outstretched hands that had almost exact change on it.

"Take it!" He said suddenly, which Percy instinctively listened to and took the money, confused by the sudden alarm in Tyler's tone.

Annabeth just rolled her eyes as she saw Tyler wrap Ashe in a big bear hug from behind, trapping her arms. They almost always did this. They took fighting for the check to a whole new level. She was surprised a punch hadn't been thrown yet.

She offered a sympathetic pat on Percy's shoulder. "I promise not all of our customers are this weird. These two are just... " She offered, gesturing to them.

"That's no fair! You paid last time."

"Not my fault you got distracted with Piper."

"It's your fault we had to travel and couldn't come here for forever."

"You let your guard down."

"I hate you."

"Love you."

"...Love you too." Ashe said with a sigh of defeat.

"... special." Annabeth finished finally.

Percy let out an honest laugh, and an honest grin crept onto Annabeth's face. She was pretty sure she had found a new favorite laugh.

Looking over to where the bickering had stopped, she found Ashe staring at her with the exact same expression Piper was on the other side of the counter. Immediately the two girls turned to each other in hushed whispering.

Dropping her head into her hand, Annabeth sighed. It was official. She was going to have to fire her best friend and ban one of their favorite regulars for being too nosy.

Before she could be all dramatic, Annabeth saw Ashe's predatory gaze shift to Percy. "Nice to meet you. I heard it's your first day! I'm sure you'll love it here. So I was wondering what kind of gi-"

"Okay, that's enough playing around for one morning." Tyler said, squeezing her hand and leading her away to their usual table in the corner of the cafe.

Ashe just pouted, resisting being led away for a moment. "You're no fun Ty." She whined gently. Pausing, her expression shifted from amused to warm. Annabeth saw the girl turn to Percy. "For real though, it's nice to meet you Percy. I'm sure you'll love it here, this place is our favorite and the staff is great." She offered warmly, waving with her free hand before she finally followed Tyler to their table, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before they settled in next to each other chatting happily.

Standing next to Percy, Annabeth just grinned. "Those two are a handful, but they always brighten the mood in here." She offered.

Piper leaned on the counter next to her suddenly. "Plus they have to be one of the cutest couples. Don't you just love it when hard work pays off?" She said with a slightly dreamy sigh.

Annabeth just rolled her eyes again. "You have too much fun meddling in others lives. But yeah, I'm glad those two worked out."

Percy just grinned. "I think I'm starting to see why this place is always busy."

Piper just shrugged. "We have fun here, and have a good reputation with our customers. It pays off." She explained, before she side-eyed Percy. "I did happen to overhear that you're single though..." She started off, her eyes flickering to Annabeth after a moment.

Before she could press the issue further, the bell above the door chimed as another set of customers chimed in. Annabeth noticed the slightest pout before Piper perked up, all smiles as she moved back to her register and welcomed them. The other customer walked up to Percy and Annabeth stepped back to give him more space again. The pace was starting to pick up, she was pretty sure they would be hitting their stride soon.

Stepping back, she decided to get a head on their next orders, figuring there wouldn't be much time to chat with the crew anymore for a while.

As the sun rose and and warmed the air, more and more people started pouring in. She had been double checking her current order list when she saw Piper pop her head into the office. "'Beth, we need you up there. We're getting hit with a rush. Percy's doing his best but..." She trailed off.

Nodding, Annabeth stood up and tied her half-apron around her waist. She had hoped they wouldn't be too swamped, but it wasn't entirely unexpected. Following Piper out of the office, she froze, nearly dropping her name-tag. It wasn't just a rush, they were swamped. Glancing over at Percy, she realized he was right. Trouble did have a way of finding him. They hadn't been this busy in a while.

That was when she saw his face. Percy was clearly overwhelmed. She could see the fear and panic was suppressing, masking it behind a friendly smile as he clearly tried to keep up with the customers. He was managing to keep up pretty well, but Annabeth knew first hand how much pressure you felt when you had a line of customers in front of you waiting to be helped. He turned to look at her, the fake smile still plastered on his face but his eyes were begging for help.

Clenching her jaw, Annabeth stepped forward. "Percy, switch to running food orders. I'll check with Piper and Jason. Piper I'll help you on espressos too, so make sure we're taking orders quickly. Reyna will be here in thirty, she can hop in the kitchen when she gets here." The group all nodded. She quickly stepped up next to Percy as he finished up his current order. "I'll take over. Just worry about picking up the orders and delivering them to the table with the same number."

Annabeth saw the sigh of relief escape Percy as he stepped back from the register. Pausing, she placed a hand on his shoulder and offered him a smile. "You did great, don't worry."

He seemed to perk up just a bit at the praise, as he stepped back to the counter and quickly grabbed an order and started to take them to the right tables. Well, hopefully the right tables. Annabeth had faith he could work it out. Turning back to the customer, she put on her best saleswoman smile. "Sorry for the wait, now then, what can I get you?"

The one good thing about rushes, was that it made the workday fly by. They had stumbled a bit, but soon they were getting along well enough. Reyna had shown up, and hopped in the kitchen to assist Leo until Frank showed up. Then she had hopped over and helped Hazel. While Annabeth could handle helping out the kitchen, Reyna was actually pretty good preparing food. Meanwhile, Annabeth just focused on keeping the customers happy and the orders running smoothly.

Eventually the rush let up as people started their work day and there was a less frantic push. Eventually they managed to catch up on the food orders, as she saw Percy lean against the counter, catching his breath.

Stepping away from her till, she moved over towards him. "Take 20. Normally it's fifteen, but you managed to survive a rush on your first day without dropping food or breaking any plates. Relax and grab a bite to eat. You'll need the energy for the rest of your shift."

Percy nodded. Despite clearly a bit stressed, he had a strange smile on his face.

Tilting her head, Annabeth could quite figure out what it meant. "You feeling okay?" She asked, wondering if the early hours plus sudden burst of work could have him feeling off. Though, judging by his body earlier, it wasn't like he was out of shape...

Nodding, Percy just scratched the back of his head. "It's just... this is kinda fun. I can't explain it, but the rush of everything moving around, all the orders, seeing all these new people. It's just... exciting."

Annabeth felt a slight rush, looking at his goofy smile. It seemed so genuine and refreshing. Plus, who emerges from a rush in cafe and says it's "fun"? This new guy certainly had interest. She wanted to get to know him, it seemed like everything about what just designed to catch her off guard.

"You're weird, you know that?" Was all she said.

Percy just laughed. "I've gotten that before. Sorry." He apologized a bit sheepishly.

Annabeth shook her head, still grinning. "It was a compliment, don't worry. Now go on your break. Oh, and go see Hazel first." She said with a wink.

Seeing the confused boy head to the back of the store, she saw him return a few minutes later, happily munching down on a bear-claw. That was usually how it went. You couldn't tell Hazel your favorite pastry without finding one prepared for you later that day. She was sweet that way.

Turning back to the customer, she continued with the order. She saw Jason walk over, pausing for a moment to say something. She wasn't sure what it was, but Percy seemed to nod and laugh. Annabeth couldn't help the small smile that crept onto her face with the sound of his laugh again. It also seemed like Percy and Jason got along surprisingly well.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow as she saw Tyler and Ashe approach the counter again. Ashe set a fifteen bucks down on the counter before offering a sheepish smile. "This is for you and Percy to each get a drink. You deserved it after that rush. Plus, Tyler was right and I may have been a bit much this morning." She spoke, uncharacteristically sheepish.

Annabeth was about to protest when Ashe just shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Anyway, get both of you a drink and just drop the change in the tip jar. Let him know he did a good job today."

Satisfied, Ashe grabbed her boyfriend's hand and lead him away after waving goodbye to Annabeth and Piper, pausing to say something and wave goodbye to Percy as well.

Annabeth saw the pair pause outside the shop, Tyler saying something that cause Ashe to lean up and kiss him, before they walked down the street arm in arm.

Shaking her head at the couple, her eyes flicked down to the money resting on the counter. It was a little too late to say no now. Ordering her favorite drink she motioned Percy to come over.

"Ashe and Tyler bought you a drink. What do you want?" She asked.

Percy looked at the menu, frowning. "I don't know. I haven't really had a lot of coffee before."

Annabeth quirked an eyebrow. "So you decided to work at a cafe that's like 70% coffee? Brilliant." She teased.

Percy shrugged. "I needed the money for my mom." He offered with a smile.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow, her curiosity starting to burn. Why did he need money for him mom. Biting her lip, she forced down her curious side. They were co-workers, this was his first day, and they barely knew each other. It wasn't professional to start prying into her personal and family life. She'd leave that to Piper, who unlike her, had lost her sense of shame.

"Well then, we'll just get you a caramel Frappucino with cinnamon. You wont taste the coffee."

Percy shrugged. "Sounds good." He offered before moving over towards Piper.

While continuing to help customers, she couldn't help but watch Percy curiously. She had to know his reaction. Across the room she saw him tentatively try the drink.

His face went from fear, to confusion, before it broke into a smile. He turned to her, giving her a thumbs up.

 _Oh my god, he's such a dork._ She thought, suppressing her laughter to avoid confusing her current customer.

The second half of Percy's shift was much less chaotic, thankfully for him. The following rushes hadn't been as bad, and Reyna was also here running things. She had seen her pull him aside for a bit as they chatted. Annabeth wasn't sure what they were talking about, but she figured Reyna was going over more of the ground rules and basic policies. She was a bit more of a stickler for that kind of stuff than she was. But their balance worked and kept the shop running smoothly.

Eventually though, Percy's shift ended. Right as she was on her lunch. Catching him in the break room, she leaned against the lockers again as he retrieved his stuff from the locker. "Good job surviving the first day."

Percy just grinned. "I had a great teacher."

Annabeth just smirked. "Most of your shifts will probably be later on at night. Closing, most likely. I think you mentioned that worked better with your classes?"

Percy nodded. "That'd be nice. Yeah."

Annabeth couldn't fight the curiosity this time. "You mentioned knowing Jason so I assume you go to NYU with him and myself?"

Percy nodded, clearly surprised. "You go there too? What program?"

"Architecture." Annabeth replied, a bit proud. She had worked damn hard to get into it.

The boy whistled in appreciation. "I've heard it's a nightmare to get into. I'm impressed."

Annabeth just shrugged. "It took a lot of work. What are you in?"

Percy shied away a bit, scratching the back of his neck. "Teaching at the moment, but I'm not sure I'll stick with it."

Pausing for a moment, Annabeth studied the boy. Nodding to herself, she trusted her gut. "I think you'll make a great teacher someday. Keep up with it. You're the kind of guy the students would love."

Percy blushed slightly. "If you say so."

Annabeth grew a little angry on the inside. That boy had _no_ right to look that cute when blushing.

Feeling awkward after a moment, Annabeth tried to clear the air. "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow. Really though, you did great today. I think you'll fit in just fine here."

The smile Percy offered in return definitely made her day just a little better. He walked out of the room, pausing at the door. "Thank you for helping me today. You're the coolest manager I've had, and that's saying something." He said with a smirk, before he turned and left.

Annabeth just stared after him. She realized two things. One, he might actually have the best smiles on earth. Two, she needed to thank Reyna for hiring him.

After Percy left, the rest of her day was certainly less remarkable. Everything felt like the same old routine, and time flew by. Yet she couldn't get that raven haired boy out of her mind. When her shift ended and she was walking out with Piper, they paused at the doors to their cars.

"So, it seemed like you two got along well." Piper said coyly.

Staring at her for a moment, Annabeth ran through a variety of responses in her head, most of them not very appropriate. Finally, a devilish smirk crossed her face before she simply said. "Yeah, I think we do." Climbing in her door, she quickly started the engine and drove off, leaving a shocked, then very upset Piper behind yelling about demanding details.

As she drove back to her small apartment, Annabeth couldn't fight the grin on her face. Tomorrow would be another chance to learn more about the fascinating mystery that was Percy Jackson. She couldn't wait.

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I hope you enjoyed! To answer the question I got, yes this is a mortal AU. No powers here...

If any of you follow my tumblr, or read Arc's Metalworks, you may recognize the regulars I mentioned. =P They aren't going to be important characters in this, just fun little cameo's. Because I really do love my two dorks a LOT.

Speaking of Tumblr, if you check me out there I'll hopefully be posting art for this at some point as I get farther in my art classes. I also have an easier time responding to questions directly there, as I avoid responding to PM's usually on here.

As always, please let me know what you thought! This is just the beginning, there is a LOT of ground left I want to cover, so it'll be the long haul. As long as you guys are interested, I'll keep writing! (I'll probably continue it either way...)

I hope you all have a wonderful day/night/noon! Thank you again! :D


	3. The Incident

Hey everyone! Just a little heads up. I retconned the first chapter a bit, I'll edit both that chapter, and this one when I get a chance. Not much changed, but Percy still lives at the apartment with his mom, and his car was in the shop which was why he was dropped off early. More after the chapter!

XxXxXxXxX

Percy headed up to the cafe, pausing just outside the door. He could hear the noise before he turned the corner. It was _busy_. The line for the registers stopped just inside of the door. It was far worse than the rush yesterday on his first day. Any confidence he has built up for this shift, suddenly vanished like a gust of wind.

Quickly sliding in the door, he managed to shimmy his way around the last customer in the line and tried to make a b-line for the break room. Passing Annabeth, he saw her offer him a strange smile that was a cross between a welcome and an apology.

Nodding, Percy quickly found the break room empty. Ditching all his spare stuff, he pulled off his hoodie and stuck on his name tag. Checking his phone one last time, he saw a text from his mom wishing him luck, and that he had a minute left before his shift officially began.

He quickly tied his apron around his waist as he ran a hand through his hair trying to mess it up a bit. Glancing at the small mirror in the room, he frowned, before he tried to comb it back. That looked worse. He quickly tried to mess up the hair again before he let out a sigh and moved towards the door. His hair was a lost cause, he wasn't sure why he tried. Quickly entering the pin he was given, he punched in and stepped out the door. Immediately the chaotic sounds of the cafe stepped up a few notches.

Immediately Annabeth waved him over, never looking away from the customer she was in the middle of assisting. As she finished the order she was slowly stepping away from the register, leaning forward awkwardly. With a final click, she finished the order and stepped back. "Hi. Welcome back. Hop on this register please? I'll help Piper with the machines, and when the lines are tame again I'll have you running orders.

Piper perked up at her name, turning her head momentarily to offer Percy a dazzling smile before turning back to her customer. Jason just nudged Percy with his foot as he continued helping customers.

Taking a deep breath, he turned back to his line and saw a young college girl there who was luckily still deciding on her order.

He quickly logged onto the kiosk with his number, and prepared to take her order. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself as he glanced over the long line that was waiting in front of him. He could do this. Glancing over, he saw Annabeth shoot him another supportive smile and he felt a surge of confidence. Looking back at the customers, he did his best to keep up with their orders.

As the first hour of his shift passed, Percy was amazed by how much money he had handled. It was still a little nerve wracking, dealing with the pressure of keeping up with Piper and Jason, while also handling change. He wouldn't know till the end of the night when they counted the till for sure, but he was pretty sure he hadn't messed up yet.

Percy wouldn't admit it openly, but he had actually spent the few days before his first shift practicing with his mom. Over dinner he had mentioned he was nervous about handling money, as none of his other jobs had really required it before. It had mostly just been him rambling, he always found it hard to keep stuff from his mom, but she had gone above and beyond like usual. When he had come back from skateboarding the next day, he had found her waiting with a mini till made up, with enough cash to practice. She gave him orders, and had him practice handing out change. Honestly, it really had made a difference.

Percy was never the best when it came to quick mental math, but he had gotten pretty quick at breaking down change thanks to her help. He was utterly convinced that he had the best mom in the world. Then again, it wasn't like that was a new fact to him. For as long as he could remember, it had just been his mother and himself. At least until _Gabe_ had entered their life. Luckily, he was out of their lives now. So for the past few years it had just been him and his mother. She was why he had found this job.

When he had returned home yesterday after his first shift, she greeted him with a warm hug and a proud smile. She always had a way of giving him encouragement and staying positive, no matter what trouble found its way to him. That's why Percy wasn't too worried, if it meant keeping his mom happy, he could endure any job they'd let him keep.

Luckily though, despite the utter chaos of a packed cafe, Percy found things going pretty smoothly. The rest of the crew worked like a well oiled machine, Percy was honestly impressed. He had only had the chance to peek in the kitchen once, but he saw Frank and Leo working side by side as they worked through their orders, and Hazel was chatting happily with another girl in the back as they produced an impressively steady flow to sweets to keep stocked what was sold. The one time Percy was about to apologize for being out of chocolate croissants, Hazel had walked out of the back with a tray and offered them one with a warm smile. Trays were flying from the kitchen window as one of the morning guys delivered them from table to table swiftly.

Eventually though, the rush had slowed down ever so slightly so Annabeth told Percy to help deliver dishes, as they now had more people waiting for food than ordering coffee. Honestly, Percy found it more relaxing delivering food than taking orders. Most customers were easier to deal with when you're delivering the food they were waiting on, you're like a messenger from God to them.

Only getting the wrong table one or two times, Percy was considering the morning a solid success. He had managed to survive a busy morning yesterday, and an absolutely packed afternoon today. Surely, this was a sign that things were looking up.

Eventually, long after Percy had lost track of time, Annabeth had grabbed his shoulder and stopped him from grabbing another order.

"Percy! Take a break." She said, wearing an amused smile. "It's good to see that you're such a hard worker, but you're long overdue for your break." She explained. She nodded once in approval to herself. "I was worried about you having to jump into this rush, but you handled yourself well." She praised, before reaching into her pocket. "But you might want this back." She said, pulling out his name-tag and handing it to him.

His eyes widened as they flew to his chest, finding it empty. "When..."

Just laughing, Annabeth shrugged. "About half an hour ago. I saw it fall off, but you were too busy so I held onto it."

"Ah! Uh... sorry. I didn't notice." He said, flushing red slightly. Right when he thought he had his stuff together today, of course he screwed up something like this.

Annabeth just smirked. "Don't worry. Happens to the best of us. Now get something to eat and drink."

Percy nodded, turning to walk away. "By the way, you might want to put your tag on right side up." She offered, clearly holding back a laugh.

Hesitantly looking down, Percy saw he had indeed pinned his name-tag upside down. Clenching his jaw, his gaze shifted towards the door. Surely he wouldn't get in too much trouble if he just walked out the store and never came back, right? Deciding he couldn't lose yet another job, he just chewed on his lip as he refastened his name-tag. "Thank you." He muttered in a small voice.

This caused Annabeth to laugh unrestrained as she just waved him off, stepping back to finish up some more drinks while she saw a defeated looking Percy go around the counter to stand in Piper's line.

Looking at the menu again, Percy did his best to relax. He was _fine_. He could practically hear his mother's encouraging words in his ears.

Everyone makes mistakes.

You only learn by failing.

You care _far_ more about your mistakes than others do. If they can forgive you, why can't you?

Running a hand through his hair, he glanced at Piper who was just patiently looking at him with an amused smirk. "Good work today, you kept up, and it's only your second day. I'm impressed."

Returning the smile, Percy shrugged. "You guys did all the work. I just pushed a few buttons."

Piper nodded. "True, I am pretty awesome." She said, before winking at him, earning a laugh from Percy. Seemingly satisfied by his smile, Piper shifted her weight. "So what'll you have?"

"Just a hot chocolate. And a chocolate croissant."

Nodding, Piper moved to start making the drink. Standing there a bit awkwardly with his wallet in his hand, Percy just stared at Piper. Wasn't she going to ring him up?

Piper returned a minute later with the drink and croissant, quirking an eyebrow. "Don't you know the rules? One free drink, and one pastry a shift." She said, handing him the stuff.

Percy turned to Annabeth, looking for confirmation.

Shaking her head, Annabeth pouted slightly. "That's not true. Piper just likes repeating that rule because she thinks it'll be true."

Laughing, Piper nudged Annabeth in the side. "Please. I asked Chiron last time he visited. He says it's perfectly fine. Went on about how we "all work hard, and deserve a treat on the house."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, but didn't argue. "Just take the snack and drink Percy. You earned it, and annoyingly, and unfortunately, Piper is probably right this time. Chiron would say that."

Piper just beamed triumphantly. "She acts all proper, but she's had just as much coffee from here as the rest of us. Heaven forbid you have to open with her during midterms or finals before she's had her coffee. Poor Hazel almost didn't survive last time." Piper said, bowing her head.

Flushing red slightly, Annabeth slapped Piper's shoulder. "That's not true!" Turning her head, she pouted. "Go on your break! You have 10 minutes left." Annabeth scolded, clearly trying to hide her embarrassment.

All Percy could do was laugh as he thanked them both before finding an empty table to relax at for a moment. Closing his eyes, he sipped his drink as he let himself drift from the world for a moment. It was a little cliché, but the sounds of a busy cafe was really an oddly soothing background sound.

There was enough noise to avoid the quiet white noise, but not loud enough to feel overwhelming. There was the near constant _clink_ of cups being set down, spoons hitting the side of teacups, the hiss and bubbling of the coffee machines back behind the counter. Above all that was the was constant chatter. Both the sound of the registers taking orders, and the various conversations being held by the patrons. Too many to properly listen to any individual one, but still isolated enough to pick up bits and pieces of a sentence here and there, before your focus shifted to an entire different conversation. Now Percy usually didn't dwell on stuff like this, he didn't often sit still, but this was just _nice_.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself."

Percy jumped as his eyes shot open and he saw a sheepish looking Annabeth across the table. "Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you." She said, meeting his gaze for a moment before hers flicked off to the side somewhere.

"S'okay." Was all he said, finally returning his heartbeat to healthy levels. Though, he found whenever he talked to Annabeth it always seemed to beat just a little bit faster.

Coughing nervously, Annabeth fidgeted with her hands. "I didn't mean to interrupt. You just had an... interesting look on your face, so I got curious." She paused. "Which I ruined by interrupting you." She continued, bowing her head. "Sorry. I'll go now." She muttered.

"Wait!" Percy said, leaning forward. "You don't need to." He muttered, desperately fighting the blush creeping up his neck. "It's fine. I enjoy the company."

Annabeth regarded him with an expression he couldn't understand, but he thought it looked a little warm.

"I take it you're found out the joys of cafe ambiance? I actually like studying here, it helps me focus." Annabeth offered, hoping to leave the awkward tension behind.

Percy nodded. "I can see what you mean. I might have to try it sometime." He said with a noncommittal shrug. "It's just all the chatter I think, it's like the ocean." He said absent mindedly.

After a moment, he looked over to see Annabeth regarding him with a confused expression. Realizing what he had just said, he struggled to figure out how to explain. "I mean.. it's the conversations, you know? Like, with everyone talk you can't focus on any one conversation. Your attention is constantly pushed and pulled in all these different directions, kinda like the waves in the ocean. It's nice to just let it move you around and go with the flow. It let's you stop thinking and just relax." He offered, trailing off at the end. There was _no_ way that made any sense. Scratching the back of his neck nervously, he managed to glance up at Annabeth. Once again she was staring with an expression he couldn't quite figure out. It was almost like she was trying to solve a problem by looking at him.

"That... made a lot of sense." She said after what felt like an eternity. "I never thought of it that way." She offered, still studying him.

Shrinking back slightly, he found he couldn't meet her gaze. It was too intense to look at properly. "I haven't really either. It just kind of came to me. That's how I see it. At least, I think. Maybe I've just spent too much time in the ocean." He back-peddled slightly.

Annabeth laughed. "Why am I not surprised that you've spent a lot of time in the ocean."

The grin was impossible to suppress as Percy shrugged. "My mom always says it's because I always look like I want to go surfing. Apparently I got that from my dad. It's kinda true though."

Laughing again, Annabeth nodded. "I can see that."

Quirking an eyebrow, Percy saw her start to fidget with her hands. "I take it you're close to your mom?"

Once again felt that annoying blush creeping onto his face. "Uh, yeah. My dad left when I was young. So it's just been the two of us. At least aside from the time with _Gabe._ " He confessed, before he realized she had no idea who he was talking about thankfully. Coughing once, he tried to compose himself again. She didn't need, or probably want, to hear his life story. "Anyway, yeah I'm close with my mom. Still living with her."

Annabeth was just resting her chin on her palm as she leaned forward, watching him and clearly listening with a lazy smirk. "That's actually really sweet. I'm a bit jealous." He could practically see the curiosity she was hiding, he figured she had picked up on the name Gabe and was curious, but that would be a conversation for another day. He wasn't exactly one to air all his dirty laundry so easily.

"I'm sorry to hear about your dad. A similar thing happened with my mom. I only get a letter once or twice a year." She said gently.

Percy's gaze shifted back to her as he studied her for a moment. He wasn't quite sure what he thought her home life had been like, but this wasn't it. Someone as smart and confident as she was? He would have guessed she had an easy upbringing, but it didn't sound like that.

Percy just nodded once, he knew that hollow words like "I'm sorry" and "That's awful" didn't mean much. Sure the sentiment was sweet, and appreciated, but they weren't kids. It was the hand they had been dealt in life, and it was their job to deal with it.

As the air between them became heavy, he noticed a familiar pair enter the shop. Both Ashe and Tyler paused to wave at Percy and Annabeth. Ashe then leaned over and said something Percy couldn't hear that made Tyler laugh and nudge her side, while she snickered and winked at Percy. Shaking his head with a small smile, Percy turned his attention back to the rest of the shop.

Looking around, he saw Jason and Piper sharing some remark as Piper made a drink next to him. Through the window in the back, Percy could see Leo dancing around the kitchen, and frank working on a stove while Hazel leaned against the wall next to him chatting happily. Looking back at Annabeth, he couldn't help the small grin that crept on his face. "It looks like you found a pretty big family here though. Everyone seems close." Percy offered.

Looking at him for a moment, before looking at the rest of her staff, before she turned back to Percy. " _We_ found a family, you mean."

Percy was confused for a moment. Then Annabeth flashed him a smile that made his heart explode. "You're a part of this family now too. Don't forget that."

Percy's jaw dropped for a moment, as he felt a warmth slowly spread throughout his body. Glancing over, he saw Piper give him a wink as Jason smirked. Slowly closing his mouth, Percy nodded, finding words failing him. "I'm glad."

Annabeth downed the rest of her drink, finishing off the last bite of her doughnut before she just smirked. "So am I. Now come on, breaks over. Looks like things are picking up again." She offered, before she tossed the remains of her snack and hopped behind the counter again.

Scrambling to clean up his own mess, he quickly hurried back to the counter. He felt refreshed and ready for another stretch of work.

For the most part, it was pretty enjoyable. Time flew quickly, he was getting the hang of orders, which table was where, and was better about paying attention to keep track who ordered what. Riding a bit of a high, he was pretty sure the rest of his shift would pass quickly. He wouldn't dare admit it, but he was actually starting to feel a bit confident in himself again. Maybe he would be able to manage actually do pretty well here.

At least, that was how he had been feeling until everything spiraled out of control.

Looking back on it, Percy probably should have been a little more nervous when he saw the girl motion towards him. Most customers hardly paid him any attention. They were polite when they had to interact, most left a tip, and a few just utterly ignored him. None had really gone out of their way to speak with him so far though.

Perhaps a bit naively, Percy had quickly made his way over to her. It was a young woman, must have been around her early twenties by his guess.

"How can I help you?" He asked politely, flashing her the best salesman smile he could muster.

"Did you make this?" Her voice was chillingly cold.

Immediately Percy felt his throat feel dry. It was abundantly clear that she was _not_ happy. "I'm afraid I didn't. Is there something wrong with it?" He asked, attempting to keep his tone friendly and light-hearted.

"It tastes like SHIT. How could you serve me something like this?" She said, setting the cup down rather forcefully on the table.

Eyes widening, Percy tried to keep his smile on his face. "I'm very sorry for that. I'm sure they'd be more than happy to make you a replacement. May I ask what you had?" He said, racking his brain to try and remember the brief suggestions Reyna had given him on how to deal with angry customers.

The girl stood up, causing Percy to take a step back. "Judging by the taste of it, I ordered sugary toilet water. I want my money back, _and_ a free drink."

Percy's heart was racing now. Normally he was used to getting in trouble for something he caused. He was better about dealing with being scolded for stuff he deserved, but he was pretty sure he hadn't even taken her order. Jason had, and Piper had made it. He also seriously doubted that Piper would have served something that tasted like "sugary toilet water". Everything that he had tried that she had made tasted absolutely wonderful. Percy also was vaguely aware of the chatter around them dying down as the girl seemed to get angrier and angrier.

"I'm not sure if we can refund you. Let me get my ma-"

"Excuse me!?" The woman butted in. "I said I want my money back. What kind of customer service is this?" She asked, her voice raising louder and louder as she silenced the rest of the cafe.

Practically dying on the inside, Percy once again tried to come up with something.

"If you let me know what you ordered I'll get a replacement started while we figure out the-" He was cut off as a scorching drink was splashed all over him.

"Why don't you try and figure it out yourself."

Percy just stood there, the front of his shirt soaked as the drink dripped down his face and from his hair. He was utterly shocked, he couldn't process much other than the fact that it was _really_ hot, but luckily didn't seem hot enough to actually burn him.

The entire cafe had turned dead silent, aside from a few shocked gasps. The sound of silverware clattered as Percy saw Ashe suddenly stand up across the cafe, only to have her arm caught by Tyler who kept her in place.

Raising a shaking hand, Percy wiped off some of the drink from his face. He felt his temper raising in him, but it was suppressed by a wave of shock and disbelief. "I'm afraid I need to ask you to le-"

 _*smack*_

Percy's cheek was now burning red, as he just stared off to the side. Tears threatened the corner of his eyes as he stepped back. A whirlwind of humiliation, anger, frustration, and pain was swirling around him.

"What did you say to _m-_ "

"Percy!" Annabeth's voice cut in as she stormed across the cafe. She was downright furious. She turned to the customer, fist clenched like she was about to throw out a blow much stronger than a slap. "You have 10 seconds to leave, and we _might_ not call the cops."

The girl was about to say something else, but Jason and Frank stormed up behind Annabeth. Jason stood tall, arms crossed and eyes furious, while Frank flanked the other side. The massive guy seemed to intimidate the girl enough and she just scoffed and stormed out of the cafe.

Meanwhile, Piper had pulled Percy aside and was dabbing at him with a clean cloth as she tried to get as much of the drink off him as she could, muttering repeated apologies. Percy just sat there quietly, trying to hold back the ever-so-annoying tears that threatened his eyes again. "I'm fine." He muttered out in a shaky voice.

In the background, Percy saw Ashe break from from Tyler's grip and storm outside of the cafe, eyes blazing.

After a moment the cafe seemed to return to life as the sounds of conversation picked up as Percy was lead to the back break room. He just stared silently ahead of him as Piper went to look for a proper towel somewhere.

The adrenaline was starting to leave his body and he let out a shaky breath. Closing his eyes, he tried to figure out how he could possibly talk his way out of this.

"Percy!" Annabeth's voice snapped him from his thoughts as she entered the backroom, squatting down as she tried to examine him as he sat. "Are you okay? God, that drink must have been burning. We're lucky it wasn't hot enough to leave burns." She fretted, hands hovering like she wanted to help in some way but couldn't find one.

"I'm okay." He repeated, unsure of who he was talking to. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he tried to reign in his emotions. Too many thoughts, emotions, feelings, and desires all flew around his head. He wasn't sure if he wanted to scream, cry, smash a wall, or quit.

A moment later the door opened and Piper walked to see Annabeth looking worried as Percy had his head in his hands. Offering her the towel, Piper just offered a sympathetic smile to Percy. "We'll keep the front running. Just... take your time." She told both of them before patting Percy on the shoulder once before she vanished back to the front of the shop.

Grabbing the towel, Annabeth gently rested it over Percy's head before she began to towel it off, trying to get all the coffee out of his hair. Luckily it had mostly been his front that had been soaked, but she couldn't stop the bile she felt in her chest.

"I'm sorry Percy, I guess your warning about bad luck is true. We haven't had a customer like that since I've started working here." She offered.

Feeling the towel around his head, Percy to admit it helped. The pseudo-massage helped ease the tension. "It's okay." He repeated, still not able to properly form a sentence.

Percy was used to angry people, between Gabe and the scuffles he had a habit of getting into, or at least had gotten into, it wasn't new. He was even kind of used to being embarrassed because of his horrible luck. The event had just been so unexpected, it had caught him off guard. A tear or two might of escaped him, but he'd never admit it. Any trace of them had been toweled off by Annabeth's help.

Pulling back after a moment, he saw her apologetic look.

That's when it struck him. He knew what was coming. That smile was the same smile he had seen a bunch before. About five times this year actually. It was the smile of someone who was about to deliver bad news they didn't want to give. Nodding his head, Percy was pretty sure that was to be expected. With the way this day was going, it only made sense that he'd lose his job. He was pretty sure he probably royally screwed up trying to talk to the customer. Surely it was his fault that things had escalated so much.

"Percy..." Annabeth started, clearly struggling to find words of her own.

Honestly, Percy wished she would have kept her sort of blunt honesty he had come to expect from her. He just wanted to hear the words, so he could go home, tell his mom he screwed up again, and figure out how to move on from there.

Pausing, his mom's face flashed in his mind. Her gentle smile hiding the disappointment he knew she felt every time he had come home after being fired. Her endless positivity trying to mask her disappointment for his sake. Clenching his fists, he knew he couldn't give her that news again. He _couldn't_ lose this job. He didn't want to lose this job. Out of all the jobs he had gotten, he was actually really excited for this one. Then he had gone and blown it with the first angry customer he dealt with.

"Percy, I'm really really sorry this happened but-"

"Annabeth." He spoke up suddenly. He had to make his case. He'd do anything to keep this job. He looked up at her, seeing her worried expression. It was one he hadn't really seen on her before, and he realized he really didn't like seeing it on her. "Annabeth. I know I screwed up. I know I should have gotten you faster, or stepped away, or something. I don't know. I just know I _really_ need this job. I can't disappoint my mom again. Please, give me another chance. I promise I'll learn! I'll do better. Anything. Just... don't make me go home with bad news _again_." He finished his plea, carefully studying her expression.

It was just... confusion.

"Percy..." She started, pausing as if she was utterly baffled by something. "You're not quitting?"

Percy looked up shocked. "What?"

"What?" Annabeth echoed, equally shocked.

"No! Of course not! I... what?" Percy fumbled again.

Annabeth just let out a massive sigh of relief, her shoulders visibly relaxing like a massive weight had been lifted off of them. "You aren't quitting." She repeated to herself, chuckling slightly. "I was trying to come up with some speech to keep you around. I figured after being yelled at, having hot coffee spilled on you, then being _slapped_ on your second day you would surely quit. I might not have even blamed you." She confessed. "Really though, that is not common here. Most of our customers are great." Annabeth took out and fixed her ponytail nervously.

Percy let out a sigh of relief this time. "I'm not being fired." He muttered, leaning back in the chair as once again a rush of adrenaline left his system. His job was safe.

Annabeth cocked a hip as she studied him. "You're weird. You were assaulted by a customer verbally, physically, and caffinically, and you think you're in trouble. Most people would have been tearing up the break room in anger. I know I would have been." She confessed.

With a lop sided smile, Percy shrugged. "I was pretty angry. But... it was just a lot to process. I guess the surprise kinda overruled it." He confessed, being a bit lame.

Annabeth just shrugged. "It's a good thing it did. You did everything right. If you had retaliated, then there would have been some trouble..." She offered.

There was a beat, before she hung her head. "I'm sorry though. It's my job to prevent situations like this, to deal with customers like that. By the time Piper had gotten me from the office, she had already hit you. I dropped the ball." She muttered, looking uncharacteristically shy and nervous. Percy had a feeling she wasn't used to feeling like a failure.

"It's okay!" He said a little too quickly. "Neither of us did anything wrong I guess."

Annabeth nodded. Regarding him for a moment, she frowned. "Would you like to go home? After all... that." She said making a vague gesture with her hands. "I wouldn't blame you. I can explain it to Chiron."

Standing up Percy shook his head. "I'll be fine." He offered. It was true. Talking with Annabeth had helped more than he thought. His nerves were gone, and he felt back at peace.

Gray eyes studied him carefully, as if they were studying every possible detail about him. Percy was glad he wasn't lying, because he was pretty sure she would have just seen through it if he had been. "Well still, it's time for your lunch. Take thirty minutes." She finally decided, before moving over to a locker. Fishing around inside of it for a moment, she pulled out a shirt and tossed it to him. "Here, your current shirt is soaked. Just keep it, it's always good to have a spare anyway.

Smiling gratefully, Percy held the shirt. "Thank you Annabeth."

He wasn't sure, but he swore he saw her cheeks tint just the slightest bit pink. "Anytime." Was her reply before she gave him once last once over before she went back to work.

Staring down at the shirt for a moment, Percy just took a deep breath. Everything would be okay.

Moving towards the bathroom, he quickly changed his shirt and tried to wash some of the coffee off his arms and face. Satisfied that he had done the best he can, he grabbed the lunch his mom had prepared him before he moved towards one of the tables in the cafe that was out of the way.

During his lunch, Percy had realized he really did like the crew here. All of them had taken the time to check in on him, which both flattered him and made him a little embarrassed. He was a young man, not a kid. He could move past a customer being rude to him. Piper had been first, taking a moment during her break to walk over. She checked him over for any signs of burns, before she chatted him up a bit, managing to have him laughing. Seemingly satisfied, she had gone back shortly before Jason had wandered over. Jason had asked how he was doing, then their conversation had switch to the upcoming sports events at their school. Jason didn't look at him like he was a fragile kid, which he appreciated. Jason understood. He had a rough day, he'd shrug it off and keep moving forward.

Frank and Hazel had been next. Hazel had brought him another treat, insisting she had made it for him and that it had nothing to do with the store. Percy wasn't convinced, but he appreciated the gesture and took the croissant with a smile. Frank had been a little quiet, but was glad to see Percy doing okay. He had also mentioned something about calling him if things got difficult. His job was also to partially keep the store safe as a kind of unofficial security. It only took someone one glance to figure out why. Frank was surprisingly built. A military brat, Percy still hadn't talk to Frank too much but he knew he was incredibly kind.

Leo had been the last of them to show up. He was drinking something from a coffee cup with no label on it. Leo was in the middle of drinking some strange concoction that reeked of caffeine. Their conversation had been a bit hard for Percy to follow, talking about a variety of topics, but it was true that Leo's smiles were infectious. Before long Percy was smiling and laughing along with him, at least until Annabeth had called Leo to get back work.

Some of the rest of the crew had also taken time to check on him.

Honestly feeling rather moved, by the time his lunch was over he was in high spirits again. Compared to the first half of his shift, the rest of his shift had been quiet. Almost painfully quiet. Ashe and Tyler had stopped him on her way out to offer their apologies, and mention that Ashe had scared the utter crap out of the lady after she had left, and that she wouldn't be a problem again.

As he was leaving Annabeth had stopped him. She leaned against the door to the break room with a soft smile. "Thank you for sticking around today. After such a difficult day for your second, sticking around and working as hard as you did really says something about your character." She praised.

Nodding, Percy really couldn't find appropriate words to thank her with.

"We'll teach you closing in one of your next shifts. Now get some rest." She said with a smile, a wink, and a small wave before she vanished to go back to the registers.

After saying his goodbyes, Percy had quickly made his way home. He had only made it a few steps before Sally had given him a big hug, then immediately realized something was wrong.

A bribe with a few blue cookies later, and Percy had recounted all that had happened for her. Sally's face had darkened when he explained the incident, but she had just pulled him into a tight hug, talking about how proud of him she was for him keeping his cool, and sticking out the shift.

Percy had just hugged her back, feeling the tears once again attacking his eyes. His mom was never shy about being supportive of him, but hearing her say she was proud made the whole day worth it.

Here they were now, both bundled up in their own blankets on the couch as they watched a Disney movie and split a bag of popcorn. Percy felt like a kid, but he couldn't be happier.

Of course his mom had steered their conversation towards this mysterious girl "Annabeth" a few times, but Percy thought he did a pretty good job at avoiding the question.

Percy certainly had a lot on his mind, but at the moment he was just happy to have the second day under his belt. There was certainly a lot he had left to learn about that place. He wasn't quite ready to admit to himself yet, but he was pretty sure a certain blonde there was at the top of the list to him.

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Thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! This story really is fun to me, and I have a _lot_ planned for this. Like a bunch of chapters I want to work through, and more keep popping in my head. I do hope you're enjoying this, and I will try to update when I can, hopefully once a week at least with more towards the holidays. I'm doing my best, I just have a lot on my plate.

If you would like, I really do appreciate reviews. They help me gauge the interest and how much you all enjoy this story. So if you would like, please leave one! Either way, I hope you all have a lovely day and I'll see you next chapter! :D


	4. The Argument

Sorry for the delay! I'll explain more a bit after the chapter. Also, to reiterate: **I retconned the first chapter a bit last chapter. Percy lives at home with his mom, his car was in the shop. I will edit the first chapter to reflect this change soon.**

 **XxXxXxXxX**

Leaning against the wall near the kitchen wall, Annabeth let out a sigh as she caught her breath. The lunch rush had just passed and things had slowed to a crawl for a moment. Piper and Jason were both working the tills chatting happily, while Leo's off key singing could be heard echoing from the back room.

Checking the watch around her wrist, Annabeth couldn't help the fact that her heart made have sped up ever so slightly. Percy was due to clock in about half an hour.

It had been two weeks since she had found that dork sleeping on their door step. Honestly, she was finding it harder and harder to deny it, she had really started to grow fond of that boy.

He was just _interesting_ to her. Everything about him peaked her interest. From his natural charisma that drew people together, to his refreshing honesty and laugh. More than once she found herself distracted as she watched him chat happily with their customers. He was fitting right in.

Slowly but surely, she saw the nerves and tension around him slip away. It seemed he was pretty good at adapting to situations, he already felt like he had been in the crew for ages. She had even gotten to know him a bit better by this point. She learned more about how he lived with his mom, that the reason he still did was to ease the burden on her financially by supporting the bills, plus he didn't want to leave her alone.

Percy wasn't exactly shy about talking, but Annabeth found it rather endearing how often she'd find him talking about his mom happily, before he'd seemingly realize what he was doing, blush, and abruptly change the subject. She didn't mind though, she thought healthy relationships with parents were a wonderful thing. Something she was currently struggling with herself.

Thinking about Percy and his mom though, brought her back to that day right after he started. Subconsciously her fist clenched as she remembered the face of the woman who had practically assaulted him in the middle of his shift. She still couldn't help but feel guilty that she hadn't managed to step in before things had escalated. It was her job after all! She was supposed to keep order, and her newest coworker and friend had not only been screamed at, but also had a drink thrown on him and slapped of all things.

It was honestly a miracle to her that he stuck around after that. Annabeth remembered the guilt and fear that rose up when she thought he was going to quit. She had frantically tried to come up with some sort of speech, _anything_ to keep him working there. Hell, she had even been about to send in Piper to sweet talk him, knowing she was much better at swaying people's minds.

But being the weirdo that he was, he was worried about being fired. That moment was when Annabeth realized two important things about him. One, she'd never fully understand what went on in his head. How he could felt guilt for so clearly being a victim in that situation. Two, she had begun to feel a _desperate_ need to figure him out. She never liked leaving problems or puzzles unsolved, and Percy was a interesting one.

On the bright side, he had also seemed interested in getting to know her. At least that's what Piper felt the constant need to remind her about. Percy did seem interested in talking with her. At the very least, Annabeth was glad he didn't freak out and treat her like a manager, and instead seemed to treat her like a friend. That was what she wanted after all.

Speaking of the devil, she saw Percy walking up to the shop. He was a little early, but judging by the skateboard in his hands, she figured he must have left early and skipped out on driving. He was casually walking up, rocking out to some music in his headphones. _Dork_ , she thought fondly looking at him. At least until he stumbled over a bike rack. She bit back a laugh, covering her mouth as she saw him fumble for a minute, before he looked back and forth to see if anyone had seen that. They locked eyes for a moment, and she waved slightly. His shoulders drooped and even from here she could see the blush creep on his cheeks as he turned and started walking away. This broke her as she burst out laughing.

A few seconds later he paused, she saw his shoulders rise and fall with a deep breath, and he turned and walked into the store.

Managing to reign in her laughter, Annabeth honestly did feel a bit bad for Percy. She knew he had a habit of getting flustered, and she didn't want to pick on him that bad. Besides, she _was_ still his boss. She should remain professional, even if they had sort of become friends by this point.

Offering a sympathetic smile, she saw him walk up to her. For a moment, her heart missed a beat as she thought he was going to walk past her without saying hi. Maybe she had pushed her teasing too far?

But he paused, turning to her and offered her a smile, the tips of his ears still a red from the lingering blush. "Hi Annabeth."

Biting back a remark, she nodded. "Hey Percy, you're early today." She offered, giving him an escape.

Nodding he shrugged. "It's October, it's going to be too cold to skate soon, figured I'd go one last time."

Annabeth glanced over at his board, noting the pattern of waves on the bottom of the deck. "Makes sense." Looking up at him, she shifted her weight and rested a hand on her hip. "Are you ready to learn to close tonight?"

A grin crept on Percy's face. "Absolutely. Anything that means I don't have to wake up early is fine by me."

This earned a small laugh from Annabeth. She was about to continue, when the bell on the door chimed. Out of instinct she turned her head to greet them but froze.

Tyler and Ashe walked in, hardly an unusual sight, but what had her heart jump into her throat. Ashe looked _bad_. She was slightly limping, there was some mild swelling around one eye, and Annabeth could tell as they got closer there were some definite bruises hid under make up.

Before she could say anything, she saw Percy _change_. It was hard to describe it exactly, but he was like a different person. He stood a little taller, his jaw clenched, and he practically screamed danger. Annabeth was curious about what his deal was, but she was too distracted by Ashe.

She saw Ashe pause, and offer her a tired smile. Tyler had reached for her hand, but she had flinched away, before looking back at him with an apologetic look. Annabeth just saw Tyler's face darken slightly.

"Ash-" Piper's voice trailed off as she saw her, the cup of ice dropping from her hand and clattering on the ground. Swearing, she quickly began to scoop it back up.

Annabeth quickly moved forward, approaching Ashe careful. "Hey girl, how's it going?" She said.

Ashe just gave her a smile. "Pretty good, all things considered. Things seem kind of slow today." She offered, reaching up with a bandaged hand to push her bangs back a little.

Annabeth bit her lip, wanting to remark but knew better. She understood the circumstances.

"Hey, can I talk with you for a second?" Percy's voice cut in, directed to Tyler who looked up, snapped out of his thoughts.

Tyler glanced over at Ashe, who nodded, before he shrugged and followed Percy out of the shop.

Curiosity burning within her, Annabeth wanted to know what the boys were talking about but before she could Reyna had come out of the back room. "Ashe! I saw you yesterday."

Ashe just blushed. "I noticed. Thanks for that."

Shaking her head back and forth, she glanced the girl over. "That looks rough. Are you okay?"

Offering a sad smile, Ashe nodded. "I'm _fine_. Despite what Tyler keeps wanting to think. It's no big deal. I'm used to it."

"Speaking of big deals..." Reyna trailed off, looking over Ashe's shoulder out the window.

Following her gaze, Annabeth's eyes widened. Percy and Tyler were talking, or rather _shouting_ from the looks of it. Both boy's body languages were screaming aggression. Percy's fists were clenched, making a point that caused Tyler to freeze for a moment, before he replied with something that only seemed to make Percy angrier.

Annabeth knew pretty well that both boys were usually friend and pretty calm, but they looked fired up and one remark away from trading punches. Scratch that, they _were_ one remark away from throwing punches. Before she could even move towards the exit, Ashe was already pushing through the crowd.

Excusing herself past a few customers, she quickly made her way out of the exit just moments after Ashe.

"TAKE THAT BACK." Tyler's voice cut through the air, anger dripping from the words. He took a step forward, just as Ashe got between the two boys, placing her hand on Tyler's chest. At the contact the boy seemed to lose half his steam, his shoulders drooping slightly.

"Boys! What's going on?" She ordered, though she stood between them, facing Percy while clearly immediately taking Tyler's side of the conflict.

Annabeth placed a hand on Percy's arm, hoping to calm him. "Everyone take a deep breath. What's going on?"

Percy relaxed ever so slightly, but his eyes were still burrowing into Tyler's. "That's what I'm trying to figure out. Why his girlfriend is beat up, and flinching away from him." His voice was ice cold, and it had caught Annabeth off guard. Never had she heard his voice so devoid of warmth before.

"I told you it's not like that!"

Everyone froze, Reyna's head dropped into her hands as Ashe stared at Percy for a moment before she burst out into laughter.

"You think Tyler beat me up?" She said, the laugh finally dying off. "God, no. That's just... wrong on so many levels." She muttered, clearly caught off guard. "First off, Tyler would _never_ hurt me. Don't even accuse him of it again." She stated, the threat only hanging in the air a moment before she continued. "Second of all, if he tried, he certainly wouldn't be looking like this afterwards." She continued, a smirk on her lips. "Most importantly, I'm a UFC fighter. I had a match yesterday." She offered.

"Which she won." Reyna added with a proud smirk.

Rolling her eyes, Ashe shrugged. "Not the point. But yes, I did." She offered with a proud grin.

Percy's shoulders drooped as a blush crept on his face. "So when he said you got in a fight, he wasn't lying."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "That's how you worded it?"

This time Tyler looked away sheepishly. "I got flustered. I'm not used to suddenly being attacked and accused of abusing my girlfriend. I would never... I couldn't... Why would..."

Reaching up, Ashe turned his head and kissed him. "I know. Don't worry. I know." She muttered before wincing.

"Then why did you flinch?" Percy asked in a small voice.

This time Ashe blushed slightly. "Cause everything is sore after the 3 round match yesterday. I kinda wanna make out with my boyfriend, but physical contact hurts." She stated bluntly.

Percy nodded. Annabeth noted that he had looked completely deflated. Luckily this misunderstanding had happened outside the store, and hadn't escalated any further than a few loud words. Still, there was _something_ there. This kind of behavior was far outside of the usual for Percy. Despite the enigma he was to her, it didn't take long to realize he was an honest, empathetic goofball. Not a hothead picking a fight at every chance.

Annabeth saw Reyna roll her eyes, clearly satisfied that whatever situation had been brewing was resolved, and went back inside to finish up the last few minutes of her shift.

Judging from the look Percy was giving the ground, Annabeth would bet that he was wishing a hole would appear and swallow him up right about now.

"I'm sorry." His voice was timid and guilt ridden. It was a stark contrast from the loud words only minutes ago. "I just thought... I'm sorry." He muttered, glancing away from the group like he was debating leaving.

Shaking her head, Ashe patted him on the shoulder. "It's okay. It's sweet you were looking out for me." She offered. "Just, don't misunderstand. Tyler is an amazing boyfriend, and would never hurt me. As long as you don't accuse him of such again, we won't have a problem". She offered with a shrug.

Percy's eyes flicked up to Tyler, who still looked a little miffed, but shrugged after a moment. "It's cool. Like she said, it's good you were looking out for her. Sometimes it's important to speak up."

Percy nodded, looking a little less pale. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions though."

Nodding, Annabeth let out a sigh of relief. "Lesson learned. Tyler's a good boyfriend, Percy looks out for his friends, Ashe kicks ass, and I'm relieved I didn't have to break up a fist fight." She summarized.

Ashe grabbed her boyfriend's hand, holding it out for Percy.

The boys glanced at each other for a moment, before they both shook hands and grinned. Tyler punched Percy in the shoulder and Annabeth saw the tension finally completely vanish.

"Good. Now can we go back to ordering? I'm starving and I can't really eat properly so I need a smoothie." She muttered.

Satisfied that everyone was happy, she turned back to the shop. "You have to clock in in a few Percy, don't be late."

Walking back inside, Annabeth saw the curious look of her team. Rolling her eyes, Annabeth knew she was going to have to come up with some way to explain things. Figuring she would deal with the most annoying problem first, she walked over to Piper who was practically burning with curiosity. Annabeth knew how much her friend hated being out of the loop. "Percy didn't know Ashe did UFC." Was all she said, letting the girl figure it out herself.

Her best friend seemed confused for a moment, before realization struck and she face palmed. "Right. Of course."

Luckily, Annabeth knew her crew was mature enough which made her job easier. No one had remarked on the altercation. She was sure they were all curious, but they were all able to act professional. Plus it wasn't hard to see that Percy was still mortified by the trouble he had caused. He wouldn't even look Annabeth in the eye anymore. He had clocked on, listened to her instructions, then just started working immediately with a half-hearted thanks.

Shaking her head, Annabeth figured it wasn't worth pressing the issue at the moment. Ashe and Tyler were in their usual spot, chatting happily as Ashe had her smoothie, so Annabeth figured there hadn't been any harm in the end and there was no need for any punishment. She'd just make sure to talk to Percy late to clarify their rule against provoking customers.

The middle of the day passed by without much more trouble, to Annabeth's relief. Tonight they had to teach Percy all the proper closing jobs, so they wanted to stay ahead of the curve as much as they could. Ashe and Tyler had even stopped by on their way out to once again bury the hatchet with Percy, and Annabeth was glad to see no hard feelings had been made.

Eventually it was time for Percy's lunch, and she quickly sent him on his way as she took over at the registers.

Unfortunately though, the business was in a lull around this time. It was after the dinner rush, but before the late night snackers so there were only a few coming and going. Seeing Percy moping at a table off in the corner, she frowned. No one blamed him, most people had already moved on, but he was still clearly beating himself up for losing his cool. Annabeth could tell he was the type of guy to try and shoulder all the blame for everything, something she both respected and found incredibly irritating.

Looking back from him, she saw Piper gazing at her intently. "There's like no customers, go deal with Mr. Mopey. I'll call if we need you." She offered, before turning back to the approaching customer.

Annabeth weighed her options for a moment, before she signed out of the register and took her friend's advice. Figuring it was about time for her last break anyway, she grabbed a snack and a coffee and made her way over to Percy.

She took a seat across from him, and he just sat there with his head in his hand, unaware of her. After sitting awkwardly for a moment, she coughed once.

Percy looked up with a jolt, eyes wide. "Annabeth! I didn't see you." He explained quickly.

Annabeth just smiled, looking at him carefully. Neither of them exactly had anything to say, so another awkward silence fell between them.

"About earlier..." Annabeth started after a moment. She was the manager after all, sometimes it meant having awkward conversations.

Percy drooped his head. "I really am sorry. I shouldn't have reacted like that. I normally wouldn't! But I know them... and they seemed so happy." He trailed off.

Annabeth paused, biting her lip. She wasn't sure where the line was, and if she was willing to cross it.

"Percy... is everything okay? That seemed really out of character for you."

Percy's gaze shifted to her and Annabeth froze. His gaze was intense, like he was reading her. She had never seen that look on him before, and she couldn't quite understand it.

"After my father left... my mom eventually ended up with a new guy. 'Gabe'." He started out, each word carefully chosen.

Annabeth listened attentively, setting down her cup and shifting her body to face him more directly. This was obviously something important if the happy-go-lucky boy was so on edge. This also might help her finally understand more about the mystery he was to her.

"At first I thought they loved each other. I was just a dumb kid. But he helped with the bills, bought me toys, even took me to a baseball game." He said with a hollow laugh. Annabeth had a suspicion where this story was going, and it made rocks settle in her stomach.

"I was wrong though. I don't know how long... I don't know how bad. Just... He wasn't good to my mom. At all. It just got worse." He explained, his voice getting darker and deeper as his fist clenched on the table.

Unsure of how to help, she just gently reached over and rested her hand over his, offering him a gentle smile.

"It took me too long to understand that their fights about the remote weren't just about that. It took too long to see how much he drank. To see the _bruises._ "

Annabeth felt bile rise up her throat. She couldn't say anything, there were no words to express what she was feeling.

"Eventually he left. Well, my mom kicked him out. Cops were called and everything. He was... is gone from our lives. We're much better off now."

Annabeth let out a sigh of relief, squeezing his hand gently.

Percy flashed her a quick smile before he continued. "But when I saw Ashe all battered... it just kind of came rushing back to me. I couldn't bear the thought that... That Tyler could do that. I knew he wouldn't but... it's never the people you expect. I just..." He trailed off, clearly finding his words failing him.

Annabeth nodded. "I understand." She said finally. There was a lot she wanted to say, but there wasn't much that _could_ be said. Phrases like "I'm sorry" are hollow in a situation like this.

"I understand why you did what you did. But..." She trailed off. It was hard to critique him after he opened up like that.

Percy just nodded. "Don't worry. I understand." He replied, looking a little sheepish again. "I promise it won't happen again. I was just caught off guard."

Annabeth nodded, looking a little relieved. His phone buzzed, making them both jump as he checked it. He pulled his hand free from Annabeth, which caused her to blush as she had completely forgotten she had been holding it. It was a little weird how natural it felt to her.

Checking the time he stood up. "Lunch is over..."

Annabeth checked the clock, eyebrow's raising. She had been listening to his story too intently, she had completely lost track of time.

Annabeth stood up as well, taking a sip of her now cooled coffee. "Hey Percy?" She said after a moment, as they were both about to get back to work.

"Hm?" He asked, looking at her curious as he pocketed his phone.

"Thanks for... trusting me. I know it's not easy to open up to people, but I... appreciate it. Really."

She offered honestly.

The smile he offered in return played a trick on her heart as it started beating way too fast for her tastes.

"It's no biggie. You're a good listener. I trust you." He said, flashing one last unfairly bright smile before he went back to the registers, sharing a fist bump with Jason and logging in.

Hiding back in the office, Annabeth calmed the blush in her cheeks. His smile was still utterly unfair. Time didn't seem to change that fact.

Feeling sufficiently calmed, and that the situation had been resolved, she decided to go out and get ready for the final rush they'd surely face.

Perhaps unsurprisingly the rest of the shift was pretty much uneventful. At least most of it. There wasn't much that could compare to the drama that had started before his shift had even officially.

So Annabeth had been pretty content. A slower day meant that Jason had been explaining the closing duties to him rather early. What needed to be done and checked off, how to properly clean the counter and tables. Where the mops were all kept, etc. Annabeth had figured it was time for Percy's last break when she saw his face light up. It was like a kid on Christmas. Following his gaze, Annabeth had no idea what could have perked him up like that.

That's when she saw her. She was one of those women that just looked timeless. Like, Annabeth could tell she was older than she looked, but that could still have been late 30's, to earth 50's. She was wearing a warm smile that warmed her up like an old Christmas sweater. She was looking around the shop a little sheepishly, but Annabeth instantly could tell she gave the best hugs.

Her eyes seemed to lock on Percy before she grinned and waved slightly. Then she clutched her bag a little closer before she moved into the line to order.

Glancing over to Percy, Annabeth found him practically bouncing place. A blush dusted his cheeks, but he seemed happy.

Quirking an eyebrow, she stepped aside as Percy quickly made his way from around the counter to the woman, giving her a quick hug. Finally piecing together the rather obvious pieces, Annabeth finally realized who she was.

Stepping forward without intending to, she found herself next to the pair as Percy tried to resist the large bag being shoved into his hands.

The woman noticed Annabeth approaching and beamed, offering a hand. "Hello dear, I'm Sally Jackson, Percy's mother. Thank you for taking care of him, he loves it here and I've heard nothing about praise for this place." Annabeth then felt a warmth in her chest, Sally had an amazing smile. Both of the Jacksons did. Idly she wondered about his dad, he figured it must have been divine.

Annabeth took the offered handshake and grinned. "Annabeth Chase. Don't worry, we like him here, he does a good job." Annabeth offered quietly.

Sally just nodded. "I know he would. I just wanted to stop by to see were he was working, plus I happened to bring some treats for all of you. One of the perks about working in a candy shop."

Sally winked and gestured the massive bag she had forced into Percy's grip. Percy just smiled sheepishly and look away.

"Candy?" Piper's voice chimed in as she appeared behind Annabeth, leaning over her shoulder to get a better look. Looking up, Piper saw Sally and grinned. "Nice to meet you! I'm Piper McClean. I take it you're Mrs. Jackson?" She said, flashing her a warm smile, already moving over to peak into the bag of candy.

Percy just looked a little mortified before he held open the bag.

Piper quickly looked in it, looked at Annabeth with sparkling eyes, back at Sally for once last confirmation before she grabbed a piece and quickly popped it in her mouth.

Annabeth couldn't help but grin at the moan that escaped Piper's mouth. She really had a weakness for sweets.

Sally just laughed, messing up Percy's hair. "It seems this work place is pretty lively. I won't loiter around long, I just wanted to drop these off and see this place for myself." She offered.

Annabeth and Percy each took a piece of candy out of the massive bag. "Pipes, go share some with the rest? Leo last, just to be safe." Annabeth ordered to Piper, who saluted before skipping back towards Jason and the kitchen.

Sally was about to leave, but she paused with what Annabeth could only describe as a dangerous twinkle in her eye. "You said you were Annabeth right?"

"Mom, it's time for you to go." Percy said, gently pushing her.

Nodding curiously, Annabeth tilted her head. "Yeah."

"I see. I've heard so much about you." She offered with a small laugh.

Percy turned bright red and looked mortified. "Mom. You really need to leave now." He muttered.

"Is that so?" Annabeth asked, feeling her own cheeks get a little hot. Percy talked to his _mom_ about her? "I could say the same, Percy is quite fond of you."

Percy looked like he wanted to die. "Usually I am. Just not right now. With you _still here_." He muttered,

Sally just laughed one more time before she raised her hands. "Okay, okay. I get it. I'll see you all later. Text me when you're off and I'll pick you up and we can grab dinner." She said to her son.

Percy just nodded, still a little upset obviously. But he gave her a quick hug and kissed her cheek. "Thank you for the candy, be safe getting home."

Sally just nodded, waving goodbye to Annabeth and Piper as she left the shop.

Percy just watched his mom leave, before he turned back to Annabeth. His ears were still red when he looked at her. Annabeth saw how broken he looked in his eyes, obviously beyond embarrassed.

Normally Annabeth would have a field day with teasing him, but she could tell he had had enough. Instead, she just offered him a soft smile. "Your mom seems awesome. I'm glad I got to meet her." She said simply.

Percy beamed at her, the blush slowly fading. "She really is." He offered before moving back towards the register. Luckily it had been slow while his mom visited so the rest of the crew had managed without difficulty.

A little lost in her thoughts, Annabeth found the rest of the night went by too quickly. Thoughts of her own mother danced around, and before she knew it Jason was showing Percy how to properly clean up everything. They had flipped the store sign to closed, and the bag of candy was resting on the counter as the closing crew took turns taking pieces from it as they worked. They all chatted, Hazel lamenting that she missed the chance to meet Mrs. Jackson. Leo of course took up singing the song "Ms. Jackson" without mercy.

Eventually though, the crew was done. The store was perfectly cleaned, everything stowed in it's place, and the massive bag of candy was still only half empty. Percy left it in the break room with a note for anyone who would be opening the next day. Annabeth leaned against the counter, checking her own phone when he finally emerged from the back room. He was texting someone, so Annabeth figured he was messaging his mom.

She saw him send his message, than look at her. Taking a sip from her last coffee, she smirked at him. "Ride coming?"

He nodded. "Yeah." He said, before offering her a smile that warmed her more than the drink in her hand.

Shaking her head, she just took a deep breath. "Today was a bit... eventful." She offered.

Percy's head drooped. "Sorry again. I feel so dumb."

Annabeth felt her heart go out to the boy. She could tell he had had it rough today, between the big misunderstanding, being embarrassed by his mom visiting, and his surprisingly honest confession about his past to her.

Reaching out, she rested her hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. I like that you were going to stand up for Ashe, and your mom really is lovely. It's awesome to see that you two are close like that." She paused. "And thanks for trusting me earlier. It makes me glad to see that both you and your mom can still laugh like you do."

Percy looked at her with a gaze that made her heart flutter. She couldn't quite figure out what he was thinking, but she was pretty aware of what she was thinking. Mostly about how pretty his eyes were.

"Thanks Annabeth, really. Talking... helped."

Nodding, the warmth spreading across her cheeks made Annabeth not trust her voice.

There was a honk outside, and they both turned to see a car. Annabeth didn't recognize it, but judging by Percy's reaction he did.

"I take it that's your ride?" Annabeth offered.

Nodding, Percy waved. "See you next shift."

As he was turning the handle, Annabeth's eyes widened. "Wait!" She blurted out suddenly, causing him to jump and turn around quickly, caught off guard by her sudden shout.

"What?" He asked, exasperated.

Ignoring the blush on her cheeks, she coughed once and tried to stand up straight. She had to recover some dignity at least.

"I almost forgot. Halloween night we're going out to eat. We close the shop a little early, after kids have had a chance to pass by. You should join us." She offered, before pausing. "If you don't have plans of course..."

Percy nodded, almost a bit too eagerly. "That sounds awesome. We don't get kids because we live in an apartment, and my mom will be volunteering at the church event anyway so that sounds perfect."

Annabeth nodded, perhaps a little _too_ excited to hear that Percy would be joining them for that dinner. "Awesome. Good job today, get some rest." She said with a wave as he turned and left, jogging towards the car. The last smile he had offered her stuck with her. She had a feeling he hadn't been invited out too many times before.

Finishing up her one last inspection to make sure everything was locked up tight, she head off to her own car quickly. Getting in safely, she plugged in her phone to the stereo as she paused for a moment. It dawned on her just how often Percy had been in her thoughts that day. She had no idea who he was two weeks ago, and now she couldn't get his eyes, smile, or laugh out of her head. She felt incredibly honored that he had opened up his past to her, and honestly she found herself a little more excited for her shifts that lined up with his. Staring out ahead at the dark night, she refused to let her mind go down that path. They were just good friends. Sometimes people came into your lives and would change them, Piper certainly had. Percy was just that, another good friend. _Right?_

 **XxXxXxXxX**

Thank you for reading! Sorry for the delay, life's been crazy. On the bright side, my schedule will be freeing up for a while soon after next week so I'll be able to get out a lot more of these chapters! This chapter was a bit rough for me, but I hope you enjoyed it! There is still a LOT left in this story, and this one was laying down some ground work in a few different places.

As always, any reviews are appreciated. Helps me know you guys are still interested! I hope you all have a wonderful week, a wonderful holiday season, and a wonderful end of the year! Likely no chapter till next weekend, but after that there will be plenty headed your way!

Cheers!


	5. The Halloween

Super sorry for the delay! Life kinda exploded for me. More after the chapter!

XxXxXxXxX

Rubbing the sides of his arms, Percy shivered as he made his way into the shop. Halloween was a cold one this year, and he was starting to regret his choice of costume.

A blonde in an long cape and bloodied dress shirt looked up at him, smiling, before her grin broke into a laugh. "Why did I not see this coming?" She asked after a moment.

Unable to suppress the smirk on his face, Percy just lowered his shades over his eyes and strolled through the shop, still holding the red life preserver. "It fits." He offered with a shrug.

Piper leaned over, adjusting the the wonder woman skirt she was wearing as she laughed. "You're a life guard? I can't tell if you're dressed up, or just forgot to change clothes before coming to work."

"Har har." Percy said as he stashed his life preserver and sunglasses. Swim trunks and a white tank top with a large red cross on it wasn't exactly the warmest costume for the day, but he'd deal with it.

Making his way back to the front of the shop, he stood next to Annabeth. Her vampire costume was amazingly well done, like seemingly everything Percy found she did.

Rather a simple 15 dollar Walmart costume, it looked like she had assembled the pieces herself. Various articles of clothing with old rustic looks to them, a fluffy dress shirt under suspenders, with what looked like blood stained down the front of it. Honestly, it felt a little too realistic for a Halloween costume. At least, Percy hadn't expected her to be the type to go all out for Halloween

Glancing over at her, he quirked an eyebrow. "Well that's an impressive costume."

Grinning, Annabeth nodded. "Thanks." She looked over his again, pausing around his chest and arms for some reason, before meeting his gaze again. "Yours is fitting. Summer job?"

Percy nodded. "More like volunteer work. Beach needs extra hands, I get to swim pretty frequently, help out others, and the snow cone stand gives me a discount." He said with a shrug, causing Annabeth to roll her eyes.

"How very admirable."

Percy just laughed, finishing up tying his half apron around his waist. "I never expected you to be big on Halloween" He offered.

Annabeth shrugged. "I'm not really, but I don't like doing things half way."

 _What an Annabeth answer._ He thought to himself amused.

Walking up to the open registered, he quickly punched in his number to log in. Glancing over, he bit back a laugh. Jason was in a superman suit. Something about him screamed superman.

Percy wasn't quite sure what he expected his shift on Halloween to be like, but it was surprisingly normal. Not too many customers, not too few. He guessed they were a little busier than normal, but nothing bad.

He was also glad he had decided to dress up in the end as well, it seemed everyone else had. Leo had poked his head out of the kitchen, and the devil horns on his head fit naturally. He was the local imp after all. Hazel had a witches robe on, and a hat stowed off to the side. She wore it well, but Percy was a little conflicted. She seemed too nice to be a witch. Still, her costume matched Annabeth's in attention to detail. But Percy had learned it was cause she actually adored Halloween.

Frank was dressed as a WW2 army vet. It felt his costume, almost too natural to count. During one of their breaks, he had even explained that the dog tags belonged to his grandpa, and Percy thought that was officially the coolest part of any costume he had seen today.

The day had gone pretty quickly, the atmosphere was unusually excited though. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Not to mention all the cute little kids who would come in dressed up. Piper squealed with each one, and Annabeth was only a little less excited. Then again, Percy had stopped working to give a tiny Darth Vader a high five, so he couldn't really talk.

As the day passed, the customers began to decrease in age. It was well known in the local area that the street their shop was on would always been open in the early parts of the nights for kids to go trick-or-treating. Annabeth had explained to him a few days ago that it was because they lived in such an urban part of the city, there weren't many normal houses around for kids to visit, and some apartment complexes didn't partake at all. So to keep the tradition alive, the businesses took up the torch and offered a few hours for kids to have fun.

Nearing the end of the business hours for the day, Piper only seemed to grow more excited, and even Hazel seemed to be eagerly popping out of the kitchen every once in a while.

Finally their wishes were granted, and Annabeth flipped the sign over to closed, while posting a piece of paper that said "Back in 30"

Everyone rested for a moment, catching their breath and letting their customer service smiles drop.

Shivering once, Percy moved to the break room to grab his hoodie. He suffered as long as he could for his costume, the temperature was plummeting. At least the hoodie matched his shorts, so he could pass it off as a life guard in Canada.

As he zipped up his hoodie, he left he back room. "So what's happening no-"

He froze in place, seeing the utter storm that was flying around. Jason was standing on top of a chair, hanging up black sheets to block off the sides of the shop. Piper was plastering stickers to the inside of the window, while Hazel was arranging some decorations on the counters. Leo was snickering in the corner, fumbling with some sort of cauldron that was starting to emit a fog. Frank was hauling out bags of candies, and assisting Hazel with her decorations.

A little dumbfounded, Percy found himself staring at Annabeth confused.

"You mentioned trick or treating but..."

Annabeth just laughed, patting him on the shoulder. "I know. We got a little all out. At first it was just a bowl of candy, but some of the local shops stepped up their game. And well... me and Reyna are both a bit competitive, and with Chiron's permission our routine turned into this." She offered, gesturing vaguely at the shop.

"We close down for a bit, and when we reopen, we're a kids haunted dream. The first year it was a little awkward with how few kids we got, but we've gotten a bit of a reputation, so it'll be busy from the time we're open. Get ready." She offered.

Percy just nodded, unable to suppress the grin on his face. Seeing everyone excited and eagerly working was starting to raise his own spirits. He normally wasn't that big of a fan of Halloween, but it was hard not to get swept up in this atmosphere.

Opting against just standing around, he quickly moved over to Jason and began helping him hang the sheets. He'd leave the decorating to the actually creative people in the shop. Physical labor he could do.

Right on time, they removed their 30 minute break sign and opened up the shop again. Surprisingly there were already a few eager kids loitering outside the shop. Annabeth had delegated Percy as the one to attract customers in, citing that his costume was the least spooky which made him "approachable".

He was going to protest that Superman would be more approachable, but when he turned to point to Jason he saw fake blood now stained his suit, and Piper was in the middle of putting zombie make-up on him.

So Percy was delegated outside and served his role obediently. On the bright side, he got to see all the cute little kids before they were terrified. He'd welcome them in, offer them a friendly smile and a compliment here and there, before ushering them inside. He also found himself making plenty of small talk with the parents that chose to wait outside. Normally not much of a fan of it, but it was now second nature to him. All the weeks of working behind the counter made it easy to find some topic he could riff with them on for a minute or two.

All in all, it was pretty easy. Not too many kids left the store crying, and he only had to deal with a few teenagers who were just there for candy in half-assed costumes.

He wasn't quite sure what the time was, it was hard to tell from the busy street as waves of kids made their pilgrimage up and down the line of shops. But he figured it was starting to get later if the plummeting temperature was any indication. After another annoying shiver he was about to seek a warmer jacket when he found a steaming drink suddenly being thrust into his vision. Taking it instinctively he looked up to see a bloody vampire in front of him. Normally an alarming sight, but Annabeth's bright smile was far to welcoming to properly fit her Gothic demeanor.

It was no secret Annabeth liked success, and judging by the number of kids they had, he figured she was feeling pretty proud.

"You doing okay out here? It's getting pretty cold." She offered.

Forcing himself to tear his gaze away from a few odd strands of hair that had fallen from her pony tail that were hanging in an adorable way off to the side of her face, he met her gaze and nodded. "'m fine. Little cold, but no one's drowned yet so that's good."

Annabeth rolled her eyes instead of giving him the laugh he had hoped for, but judging by her smirk and small lip bite, Percy chalked it up as a victory. "Dork."

"Rude! Good luck finding someone else to save you if you start drowning tonight."

Scoffing, Annabeth shifted her weight -which caused that _still_ adorable piece of hair hanging in front of her to bounce distractingly for a moment- and shook her head. "I'll take my chances."

Percy took a sip of the drink before he realized he had no idea what had been offered to him. A moment later though he recognized the local taste of hot chocolate and was satisfied.

Percy was about to say something when he heard a familiar voice.

"No, Ashe. I am not going over there. You can't make me."

"Please? It's for the kids! It's not about us."

"You're horrible, you know that? You're abusing and humiliating your boyfriend, how could you be so heartless?"

"Don't be so dramatic. It's just a costume, and I already told you you look cute."

Annabeth and Percy both shifted their attention down the street, and immediately both laughed.

A group of kids were being lead by... Frosty the snowman and a caroler.

A very pouty Tyler, or should he say Frosty, had his arms crossed in front of his snowman body as a smirking caroler, complete with a music book that said "12 days of Christmas" on the front paused and turned to the group of 5 or so kids.

"This shop has an awesome spooky theme. So be patient, wait your turn, then go get some candy, okay?"

A chorus of excited confirmations were yelled out as they all eagerly ran to get in line. Satisfied, Ashe stood up and dragged her boyfriend over to Percy and Annabeth.

"Merry Christmas." Percy offered, laughing at the glare Tyler shot him.

"I hate this." Tyler muttered under his breath, fidgeting with the scarf around him like he was debating taking it off and shedding some of his curves.

Ashe rolled her eyes, reaching up to grab one of his hands and intertwine their fingers. "Ignore him. We made a bet on a game on who got to choose the costumes for the year. He lost."

Annabeth laughed, but offered him a slightly sympathetic look. "If it helps, it's actually a cute idea."

"We're supposed to be spooky!" He bemoaned half heartedly.

Ashe just sighed, like they had been over this twenty times. "Like I said before, half the girls we've seen have been Disney princesses, wonder woman, or Rey for starwars. Not exactly "spooky". You look fine. You're a wonderful boyfriend for going along with my idea. I'll make it up to you tonight after we're done volunteering at the church. Just me, you, some movies, and I'll make your favorite desert, deal?" She said, kissing his cheek.

Tyler pouted for a moment, before he sighed, the action causing his segmented body to shift around. Percy wasn't sure what the costume was made out of, but it was surprisingly well made.

"Deal. But only cause I love you."

"I'm very lucky." Ashe offered, satisfied to see a smile back on her boyfriends face. Turning back to Annabeth and Percy she glanced over their costumes. "Impressive as always Annabeth. Percy, did you forget to change before work?"

"I already made that joke." Piper's voice suddenly chimed in, popping out from the doorway.

"Darn it." Ashe muttered, scowling.

This caused the rest of them to laugh, before Piper properly took in Tyler's appearance. "Okay, that's officially my favorite costume of the night. Want me to go see if we have any figgy pudding in the back?"

Tyler groaned, and Ashe lost it. She leaned into her boyfriend as she held her sides, laughing.

Percy couldn't help but get swept up in the laughter as well. It was a nice change of pace from the pleasantries he had been forced to endure the past hour. They chatted idly for a few more minutes until the last of their little troupe of kids had made it through the shop. They all crowded around Ashe and Tyler, eagerly ready to go to the next store.

Ashe just laughed, resting a hand on the head of one of the little ones. "It seems like they're ready to move on." She offered to Percy, who just nodded. A smile was still on his face, the bright atmosphere keeping his spirits up.

"What do we say?" Tyler asked them gently.

"Thank you!" Was the chorus the kids called out happily. A soft sigh was heard from next to him as Percy was pretty sure Annabeth's heart melted.

Before either of them could respond, the kids were already taking off to the next shop.

Percy waved goodbye to the pair, watching Tyler waddle down the street in his costume.

"Poor Tyler." Percy said, nudging Annabeth in the shoulder.

Annabeth shrugged. "I think he was having fun deep down. Plus, Ashe wouldn't really make him do anything he didn't want to do." She offered.

Percy nodded, figuring that was true. "You were surprisingly quiet about teasing him."

Nodding, Annabeth fixed her hair. "Even if he was having fun, he was still clearly embarrassed. I'm not heartless you know, I don't like teasing people if it will actually make them upset." She offered, which Percy could only nod to. Still, something felt off.

"At least until I see him next time. Then I'll let him have it." She offered, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

Right. There was the Annabeth he knew.

"At least until Ashe gets mad. She's _scary_ when she's upset for Tyler's sake. Even Piper learned when to back off." Annabeth said, grimacing at a memory. "UFC is perfectly fitting for someone like her."

Percy saw Annabeth's eyes snap back from some memory. "Enough about them. We only have a about 45 minutes left until we close up. There should be one more rush of kids then it'll start to die out."

"Gotcha." Percy replied, greeting the next family that walked up. He noticed Annabeth disappear back inside the shop and figured she was getting something else ready.

"Are you warm enough honey?" The familiar voice rang out, prompting a smile to his face. Turning around from the shop, he found himself face to face with his mom.

"Hey mom." He offered, eyeing the bag of candy she was holding.

With a warm smile she stretched out her hand and offered it to him. "We had some extra left over from today. All blue, of course." She offered with a wink. "Make sure to share it."

Percy nodded eagerly. This had been a habit since he was a child. He doubted there had actually been left overs he could just have, but he didn't feel the need to call his mom out on it. She seemed happy giving him candy, and he got free candy. It was pretty swell deal in his opinion.

His mom was dressed in an old flannel, his dads if he remembered correctly, some faded jeans, had a straw hat and bits of straw sticking out from everywhere. A pretty convincing scarecrow costume over all.

"Did I hear free candy?" Piper's voice chimed in, peaking her head around the corner.

Quirking an eyebrow, Percy looked over his shoulder at her. "You've been handing out free candy for hours now, and suddenly this candy interests you?"

Piper leaned over him, reaching into the bag. "We just have generic stuff. This is like... gourmet." She offered, popping a piece in her mouth.

After a moment of savoring it she looked up at Percy's mom. "It's a pleasure as always to see you Mrs. Jackson. Thank you again." She said.

"It's Sally dear, and it's my pleasure."

"Sally?" Annabeth's voice chimed in, her head now peaking around the corner.

"Annabeth dear! It's good to see you." Percy found his mom saying, after a sly glance to Percy and a playful smirk.

Percy just groaned and dropped his head into his hands. He loved his mom, but it always ended up with him being embarrassed by her whenever she visited for some reason.

Half a moment later Hazel emerged from the shop as well.

"Mrs. Jackson! It's nice to meet you." Hazel offered politely, offering a hand. "Thank you very much for those candies before. They were delicious!"

Sally shook the younger girl's hand, and soon they were busying chatting about their favorite candies, baking, recipes, and before long Percy had lost the beat of the conversation. Annabeth just grinned. "It seems your mom is more popular than you are."

Percy just shrugged. "What can I say? She's the best."

Annabeth gave him a strange look, opening her mouth as if to quip something, but just closed it, still giving him that intense gray-eyed gaze.

Finally settling on something, she simply said "You're a good son."

Before Percy could ask what she meant by that, Annabeth had been dragged back into the conversation so Percy busied himself with hyping up one of the last group of kids approaching the shop.

After what felt like ages, the street seemed mostly empty and Annabeth made the decision to call the night. After giving Sally a hug goodbye, she disappeared into the shop to help clean it up.

Piper and Hazel also said their goodbyes after being called back to work by Annabeth's voice.

Percy lingered for a moment later, hugging his mom again. "Thanks for stopping by."

Sally just smiled. "It was nice meeting everyone finally." She said, eyes lingering on the shop. She was glad that her son had found a good place to work for.

"Mrs. Jackson?" Annabeth said suddenly, poking her head around the corner.

"It's Sally, dear." His mom replied in the same tired tone she used whenever she told Percy to fold his laundry for the tenth time. Percy made a mental note to tell Annabeth she really should just call his mom "Sally."

"Right. In a few we're all heading out to grab dinner as a crew. Do you mind if he comes along? We would hate to drag him away from you if you have plans."

Percy glanced over at his mom curiously. He was _pretty_ sure they didn't have plans, but his mom had a habit of surprising him. Instead, she just had a beaming smile that made Percy's chest feel a little warm. It was like she was proud of him for some reason. He didn't quite understand it, but she turned to Annabeth.

"No! It's fine! Please have fun. I'm going to help the church clean up tonight anyway so go and have your fun!" She fished around her purse for a few minutes before she shoved a couple of bills into Percy's hands. "Here. Make sure to pay your share, and leave a generous tip. I'm sure the poor servers have had their hands full all night. Enjoy yourself and just text me if you're going to be late!" She said excitedly. She gave Percy a quick hug, and he kissed her cheek before she waved and was off, leaving behind a mildly confused Percy and a grinning Annabeth.

"Your mom is awesome." Annabeth repeated.

Percy nodded, eyeing the bills in his hand. He had enough from his paycheck to cover it, but he hadn't even had time to consider that before his mom had left. "I know."

A moment of silence later, and Percy looked over to see Annabeth regarding him with that one expression he couldn't quite figure out.

After a moment, she just shook her head, winked at him, before she motioned for him to follow and went back into the shop.

Realizing he'd be standing out there all night if he tried to figure out just what was going through her head.

Shaking his head, he quickly made his way back into the shop to help them finish tearing down the place. Unfortunately he had lingered out there with his mom a bit longer than he had expected, and by the time he made it back in most of the place was already back to normal. Shooting an apologetic glance to Annabeth, he moved over and helped her fold the large curtain.

In return Annabeth just offered a friendly understanding smile, and shook her head dismissing his worries.

Before long the shop was looking as good as new, and Annabeth was ushering all of them out of it. "Our reservations are in 20, we need to hurry up." She said, quickly locking the door.

Looking down, Percy realized he was going to be stuck in his life guard outfit while they ate. Great.

Sensing his distress apparently, Annabeth smiled at him reassuringly. "It's not that fancy of a place. You won't get in trouble for wearing that."

Gratefully Percy nodded. Though the fact Annabeth seemed to be able to read his mind made him a bit nervous. Then again, Percy knew how smart she was, and how much she paid attention to her surroundings, and him at times, so he figured he was just pretty easy to read.

Pausing as they all made their way to the parking lot, he realized he had gotten dropped off early by his mom. He didn't have his car.

Without looking back, Annabeth just twirled her key ring around her fingers. "You can ride with me Percy, come on."

Piper leaned over and whispered something into Jason's ear, who started laughing, earning a glare from Annabeth.

Piper just shrugged. "We're off the clock Blondie, you have no power here."

Shaking her head, Annabeth just got in her car.

Climbing in the car, Percy was thanked her again.

Annabeth just shrugged, turning up the radio a bit.

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Shake it off?"

He wasn't sure, but Percy was pretty sure she blushed slightly.

"It's catchy." She said a little defensively.

"I agree." Percy offered, watching her reaction carefully. Her shoulders relaxed ever so slightly, her jaw unclenched slightly and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Percy found it a little unfair how cute her small smile was.

The chorus came on again, and Percy's resistance crumble and soon he was singing along. Luckily judging by Annabeth's laugh she didn't mind.

By the time they pulled up to the restaurant, they were both thoroughly laughing and their sides were hurting. Their medley had gone from Taylor Swift to Blink 182, to a Backstreet Boys song that Annabeth swore she had no idea how it ended up on her phone.

As they climbed out of the car, Percy saw Piper raise an eyebrow at them. But he was in too good of a mood to feel uncomfortable.

They were quickly ushered inside, and like all of Annabeth's flawless planning, they were seated almost immediately.

It was some standard restaurant that he hadn't heard of, but judging by the prices on the menus it wasn't too fancy. He also noticed that the rest of them had managed to remove the blood from most of their costumes to make them at least somewhat presentable.

Piper and Jason sat next to each other, sharing images on their phone in lulls in the conversation, while Frank and Hazel sat quietly next to each other, but judging by their smiles they were enjoying themselves in Percy's opinion.

Leo was on the end, chatting with Piper as well, fiddling with something he had pulled out of his pocket.

Percy and Annabeth found themselves on the other end of the table across from each other. He shifted his weight until he felt his legs bump into someone else's.

Annabeth just raised an eyebrow, and kicked back with her foot.

Narrowing his eyes, Percy stretched his legs out again "accidentally" bumping hers.

Apparently that was a declaration of war, because a moment later Annabeth had started attacking his legs.

The war under the table continued until a server walked up and clear her throat, causing both Percy and Annabeth to jump as he quickly retracted his legs to his side of the table, ignoring his sore shins.

Another thing Percy made a note of was that Annabeth had a really good poker face. She acted she hadn't been caught in a childish war as she ordered her drink. At least by the time it was Percy's turn to order he had also composed himself as well.

The waitress had left after giving both Percy and Annabeth a judgmental look.

"You guys done playing footsie? You should figure out what you want to eat soon."

Percy felt his face flush. "We weren't! Annabeth just was invading my leg room."

Judging by the rosy tint to Annabeth's cheeks, she was feeling to himself. "You fired the first strike!" She rebutted.

Their conversation was lost till bickering, having only a brief cease fire to order food, before they continued until their plates finally arrived.

To Percy, he realized there wasn't much better than a proper meal after a long day of snacking on candy. The salmon he had was to die for.

Everyone ate quickly with minimal conversation, it seemed the day had taken more out of everyone than they had expected.

Before long they were all scraping up the scraps left on their plate.

"That was amazing. And we definitely need to do it again." Percy admitted, suddenly feeling grateful for the day he had. It was by the far best Halloween he had had in years.

Annabeth nodded. "We try to do this every major holiday." She said, a smirk playing on her face. "I'm glad you had fun though."

Piper just nudged Annabeth's shoulder and whispered something that once again caused Annabeth's ears to flush red.

Standing up suddenly, Annabeth fished out some money for a tip. Percy also added some to the pile from the remnants of his mom's gift. Hazel also chipped in and soon they realized the server would be very grateful. Then again, they had been a bit loud at times so they deserved it.

As they all made their way back to the car, they noticed the temperature had plummeted. Percy shivered a few times, but soon he felt Annabeth nudge up next to him. She still looked ahead, her breath leaving a soft fog in the air, but Percy felt a warmth in his chest from the contact.

"You looked cold." Was all she said, sharing a glance at him from the side of her eyes.

"I... was. Thank you." _Smooth._

They both pointedly chose to ignore Piper's whispering as they continued down the street, just a little too close together.

They all eventually had to say their goodbyes, Piper managed one last joke about Percy's outfit, before she ducked into the car with Jason.

Percy gave Annabeth his address, and they started their trip back.

It might have been Percy's imagination but it felt like she was driving just a little slower than normal. The music was turned down low, and they were just sort of enjoying each others company.

Too soon, Annabeth pulled up outside of his apartment building. They both sat in the car for a moment, listening to the sound of the heater as they glanced at each other.

"Thank you for inviting me tonight. It's been a while since I had this much fun."

Annabeth just nodded, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "It was more fun with you here."

Percy was pretty sure his brain shut off for a moment, while his heart went into over drive. His gaze lingered on her lips for a moment, but before he could do anything dumb, he unbuckled his seat belt and opened the door.

"Thanks for the ride home. I guess I'll see you soon?" He asked a little hopeful.

Annabeth nodded, looking a little off as well. She paused after a moment, pulling out her phone. "I don't actually have your number yet. Could I get it? You know... for work and stuff."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "For work and stuff?"

Annabeth blushed harder, looking away. Percy could tell she was at her limit of teasing. Having mercy, he pulled out of his phone. "Only if you can give me yours. I tend to ignore numbers I don't recognize."

Relieved, Annabeth nodded and pulled out her own phone.

A minute later their numbers were swapped and they said their goodbyes again.

Watching Annabeth drive away, Percy quickly made his way upstairs towards his apartment. Pausing outside the door he felt his phone buzz, with a message from his new contact.

"Oh, and Happy Halloween."

Grinning stupidly down at his phone, he typed out a quick reply before he opened the door to their apartment. "Hey Mom, dinner was amazing..."

XxXxXxXxX

Thank you for reading! I'm very sorry for how long this update took. I honestly had planned on writing a lot more, but the holidays got busy, I got distracted by Persona 5, and this chapter just didn't come naturally. Still on the fence about it, but I wanted to post it and move on with the story. Future updates shouldn't take this long at all!

Thank you all again for your patience. You can check out my Tumblr under the same name if you want to see more updates on my progress, or ask questions etc. I'm best about responding over there, it's mostly just PJO stuff along with some stuff for my OC's.

Thank you again for reading and I hope you can look forward to the next chapter! I hope you all make the best of this year!


	6. The Meet

Sorry for the delay! My life had gotten a bit crazy, but I should be back on track with a more consistent schedule hopefully!

XxXxXxXxX

Swatting Piper's hand away from her fries, Annabeth took another bite of her burger as she glanced over it towards her raven-haired friend's customer service smile.

Percy was working the tills alone at the moment, charming the customers as usual as he kept the line moving surprisingly quickly. He really was coming into his own at the place, a lot of the early nerves were gone. He seemed a little less nervous. Fewer of his nervous ticks seemed to be showing themselves, like him running a hand through his hair or drumming on his leg with his fingers.

Pausing mid bite, Annabeth slowly realized that she actually _knew_ his nervous ticks. She must have been paying more attention to him than she had previously thought before. Slowly she finished chewing while she tried to digest that new fact she just realized.

Piper had given her a quizzical look but she just ignored it, instead opting to look through the restaurant. It wasn't too busy, so she wasn't feeling as pressured to speed through her lunch as she normally did.

She hardly paused a beat when she saw Tyler and Ashe in their usual corner, though she was thrown off by the large number of books around them. At least until it dawned on her they were probably just studying judging by the amused look Ashe was giving her utterly confused boyfriend.

The small smirk still on her face, Annabeth just continued to let her eyes wander until they once again rested on Percy's face.

Her smile faltered as she studied it for a moment. It seemed... off. His usual smile didn't quite reach his eyes, and his gaze kept flickering down every few seconds. His shoulders drooped a little more than they usually did when he was on the clock. She had her suspicions, but the little sigh he let escape was the final nail in the coffin. Turning back to Piper, she frowned.

"Does Percy seem sad to you?"

Piper paused her sip of her smoothie as she tilted her head. "A little. It makes sense though, doesn't it?"

Annabeth stared at her blankly. "Why would it make sense he's sad?"

Piper pointedly took another sip of her drink before she set it down on the table. "You're kidding right? You know how much he was looking forward to tomorrow."

Pausing, Annabeth's brow furrowed. "Tomorrow? Friday?"

This caused Piper to lean back in her chair. "You're kidding, right? You two are head over heels for each other and you still don't talk that often?"

Annabeth shifted her shoulders, suddenly feeling a little defensive. "We talk! Occasionally. Just... mostly about work and stuff."

Dramatically Piper let her head drop to the table with a soft thud. "I thought getting Tyler and Ashe together was tough, you're like a whole new challenge."

Annabeth threw a fry at her overly dramatic friend's head. "I don't need your help getting together with anyone. So what's the deal with tomorrow?"

Piper just lifted her head so her chin was resting on the table with a look that revealed that Piper was fully aware of Annabeth's attempt at deflection. Still keeping her unamused glare, she took pity on Annabeth.

"Tomorrow is Percy's first swim meet of the season. His mom is out of town because of work, and she couldn't make it back without getting in trouble so Percy told her to stay. She's his biggest support so of course he's going to be bummed to compete without her there." Piper explained, sitting back up properly and resuming her assault on her smoothie.

Annabeth paused, processing all that information. A flurry of emotions passed through her as she struggled to figure out just what to feel. Eventually she settled on concern. Percy, someone who was quickly becoming an incredibly important friend to her was about to go to a swim meet with no one cheering him on? Sure he'd probably have his team by his side, and he always talked about his good friend Grover but she knew how close he was to his mom.

Chewing her lip, she ignored Piper's intense gaze as she thought things out. A few things were playing through her mind. One, there was no way she was going to let Percy go unsupported tomorrow. Two, they honestly needed to work on their communication if she was unaware of such an event. She was able to admit that she really did want to become close friends with him, and she would not have him hiding such important things from her. Especially when he was so seemingly open with sharing it with Piper. Annabeth did her best to suppress the feelings of jealousy in her, she could never be mad at her best friend. Especially for just being a kind and caring person.

Before Annabeth could ruminate in her feelings for too long, the chime to the door played and a strange duet of voices rang out.

"Thalia!"

"Thals!"

Percy and Jason both looked each other shocked, before they looked back towards the raven-haired girl with a buzz cut and military fatigues that just walked in. Percy quickly made his way around the counter while Jason just hopped over it, rushing across the store and tackling the girl into a hug.

Annabeth was rooted in place, floored with happiness.

The girl just laughed, messing up Jason's hair as she hugged him back tightly as well, burying her head into his neck. "I missed you bro."

Now Percy was pausing awkwardly a foot away, clearly feeling out of place.

Annabeth got to her feet as well. After a moment Thalia caught her eyes, before she smiled, taking a step back from Jason, rustling his hair once before sweeping her into a hug. Annabeth just relished in her warmth, hugging her practically adopted sister tightly. It had been years since she had seen her. Since before her deployment. She had never been able to see her on her leaves.

Glancing over, she saw Percy rubbing the back of the neck, and it only just occurred to her that he had also said Thalia's name when she entered the shop. Which was... odd to say the least. Why would he know Jason's sister?

Thalia gave Annabeth's head a quick kiss before she turned and walked over, wrapping Percy also in a tight hug.

"You've gotten so big!" She said, before messing up his hair.

Jason was still grinning like a kid on Christmas, though a look of confusion was tainting it at the moment. "How do you know Percy?"

Thalia looked at him, amused. "You serious bro? We're cousins after all."

Percy and Jason looked between each other, then at Thalia, then each other again.

"What?" They said in unison.

Thalia just laughed. "Our dads are brothers, I thought you knew that. The second you mentioned him in your letters I figured you knew."

"Thalia is your sister?" Percy asked Jason incredulously.

Jason nodded. "Yeah but... Why do you know her then?"

Percy shrugged. "When I was young I saw her pretty often at family events. She was like an older sister."

Thalia nodded. "It was back before we got back together as a family. You were with mom and I was with Dad."

Jason nodded, finally understanding.

Piper raised her hand. "Not to interrupt, but Grace and Jackson aren't the same last name."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Family drama. Our dads _hated_ each other for a while. When they all married they took different last names." Thalia looked the girl over once. "Piper I take it? Jason's told me _all_ about you." Thalia said with a dangerous glint in her eye, a devilish smirk on her lips.

Noticing the line starting to form at the now empty registers, Percy patted Jason on the back. "Go say hi to your sister. It's slow, I'll be fine alone for a while."

Annabeth was about to to get up but saw Percy wave her off, tapping his wrist to indicate she still had ten minutes left of her lunch.

Hesitating, Annabeth finally nodded and sat back down as Thalia set down her bag and joined the trio at their table.

Jason was still grinning ear to ear, and Annabeth had never seen him even close to this happy before. Then again, she figured your sister finally finishing her tours and being home for good was a pretty good reason to be over the moon. When Annabeth had first moved out and started working here, Thalia had fulfilled an older sister role she desperately needed, and really helped her get her feet underneath her. As far as Annabeth was concerned, Thalia was her sister so she also couldn't help the few tears that threatened the corner of eyes at the sight of her home safe and sound in one piece.

Thalia just looked around at all of the grinning. "I'm so happy to see you all here safe and happy." She offered.

"You didn't tell me you were home!" Jason scolded, slapping her arm.

Thalia just laughed. "And ruin the surprise? I'm just glad you haven't gotten fired yet. Otherwise it would have been really awkward."

They all laughed and Annabeth felt like a piece of her life that had been missing for a while was finally back where it belonged. She knew Thalia had a strong sense of duty, and nothing could have stopped her stubborn ass from joining up, but Annabeth would always give thanks that she made it back to them.

Their conversation remained relatively light for a few moments, everyone kind of agreeing that a proper reunion and catch-up would be served much better during off hours of work. They all promised to meet up for dinner this weekend. Just the three of them like old times.

Piper wrapped up her sandwich as she noticed it was almost time for their lunch to be over. The cafe was pretty dead though, so they weren't in a huge rush. Percy was relaxing against the counter at the moment, that annoyingly sad look on his face. Annabeth hadn't realized she had been mirroring his expression till Thalia had nudged her. "What's up? Why are you frowning suddenly?"

She followed her gaze to see Percy.

"Oh. So they haven't..." Jason shook his head.

"Not yet."

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "That's going to have to change."

Annabeth ignored those comments pointedly as she thought about tomorrow.

"About tomorrow..." She offered Piper.

Thalia perked up. "Oh? Plans? Involving Percy?"

Piper nodded. "So there's this swim meet."

They all leaned in closer as Piper quickly filled Thalia in on the situation.

Smirking, Thalia cracked her knuckles. "Seems like I made it back just in time. Here's the plan..."

XxXxXxXxX

Standing in her small apartment, Annabeth shrunk slightly from Piper's intense glare.

"Are you serious Chase? 2 years at the school, and you don't even have a hoodie from it?"

"I'm not really into sports, okay!"

Piper just dropped her head into her hands. "I get that but... you take a lack of school spirit to like a zen level."

Annabeth had nothing to say to that. She really probably _should_ have at least a hoodie or something. It had just never really came up.

Some cloth collided with her face, making her flinch backwards as she freed her face. A moment later she found herself staring a school hoodie. "Where did you..."

Piper just smirked. "It's Percy's. He left it in the break room. He won't care if you borrow it."

Annabeth frowned, but knew she probably wasn't wrong. He was the kind of guy that would give you his shirt if you shivered once.

"We're going to be late. Not put that on and let's go. Thalia and Jason are already there."

Sighing, Annabeth didn't have time to be stubborn. Quickly pulling the hoodie over her head, Annabeth did her best to ignore that the fact that it smelled a lot like Percy did.

She felt incredibly warm in it, and some part of it wondered how upset Percy would be if she just didn't give it back.

Judging by the Cheshire smirk Piper had, Annabeth had a feeling she annoying knew exactly what was going through her head.

Shoving Piper in the back, she ushered them out of her apartment. "Come on, let's go." She muttered, pausing to lock her door.

They made their way down to Annabeth's car as they both climbed in it.

"So Percy doesn't know?" She asked.

Piper could hardly suppress her grin as she buckled her seat belt. "Nope. He has no idea. Jason said he might be able to stop by, but as far as he knows me and you are seeing a movie and the rest of them are working.

Annabeth smirked slightly. She hoped this worked and he was surprised. She had hated seeing him so sad. Honestly, she found it a little adorable how much he loved his mom and he was always pouty when she was gone for an extended period of time. Thalia's plan had been perfect. God, how Annabeth had missed Thalia and her schemes while she was deployed. Their reunion had been brief earlier, but this weekend they had plans for the two of them to take a road trip and shop and catch up. There was nothing that sounded better to Annabeth.

Parking quite a distance away due to the school's dumb parking, they quickly made their way through the chilly night air towards the pool hall. Piper had to give her directions twice, and Annabeth realized she really had never even been in the general area. Maybe Piper was right that she needed to actually attend the extra curricular events a little more.

Eventually they found the entrance and Piper pulled out the tickets she had scored. She had also completely ignored Annabeth's attempt at compensation for her ticket, to her mild annoyance. Winking at her, Piper lead them towards the usual snack stand that Annabeth had no idea existed in the hall.

That's where they found the rest of the crew they could manage. Thalia and Jason were still chatting, they had been inseparable since Thalia returned unsurprisingly. Frank and Hazel were currently waiting in line, and Hazel had given her a little wave when they made eye contact. Leo currently snacking on a massive tub of Popcorn that Annabeth realized wasn't actually a size they offered here.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and Piper merely took a handful of his treat before the boy could protest.

"Any chance he could see us before it?" Annabeth asked, stealing a piece for herself as she looked over her shoulder.

Jason, finally noticing the girls, walked over and answered. "Nah, after they warm up they keep them off in the lockers to keep them focused and ready. Coach says something about not wanting them distracted before the meet." Jason offered helpfully.

Annabeth nodded, seeing the logic behind that. A bunch of unsupervised college guys before an important event sounded like a recipe for disaster.

Thalia gravitated to Annabeth's side, nudging her hip. "Glad you made it. I'm surprised to see you somewhere so full of sweat though." She teased.

Scoffing, Annabeth adjusted her ponytail. "I work out." Was her only defense.

The raven-haired girl just laughed. "Okay, okay."

Giving her a careful look, Annabeth hesitated for a moment. "You good being here? I'm sure you're probably exhausted or just want to be home..."

Thalia's smile shifted from a grin to a warm smile as she wrapped an arm around Annabeth's shoulder. "Trust me kid, after everything I've been through a normal school event is like a dream. Plus I wanna be there for Percy too."

Annabeth nodded, realizing Thalia must have experienced far more than she could imagine. She looked forward to learning what she would be willing to share.

A partially muffled voice over an old intercom explained the heat that Percy was starting in was happening soon.

"Let's go!" Leo ordered, gesturing with his massive pile of popcorn, spilling a substantial amount though there was still an absurd amount left. They all made there way, finding an open chunk in the stands for all of them. Annabeth realized swimming wasn't exactly the most popular sport even if their school had a pretty well known team.

Whatever lack of popularity had though did little to stifle the energy in the air. The crowd was practically vibrating with energy. Percy's heat was called and the next group of boys filtered out to take their spots at their lane. Annabeth only knew the basics of how things worked, but she couldn't help but be swept up at the excitement.

If Annabeth blushed when Piper leaned over and mentioned something about Percy's compression shorts, she'd never admit it though Piper swore the bruise she got from Annabeth hitting her was worth it.

Piper looked at everyone, a grin on her face. "After I say three, ready?"

Everyone nodded and they got ready.

"3"

"2"

"1"

"PERCY!" They erupted into a loud cheer, calling out his name at the top of her lungs. Annabeth felt her face flush a bit. She wasn't used to doing stuff like this, but she couldn't help it. Not after see had seen that consistent frown on him.

She saw her friend look up from where he was, look around the confused until he caught sight of the group waving. His eyes widened, and Annabeth was pretty sure she'd never be able to forget the smile that had erupted on his face. It was hard to describe, but Annabeth could only compare it to the feeling she felt when she found out she had been accepted into her dream school to study architecture.

Percy just waved happily till his coach yelled something, making him flinch, before he offered her one last smile and turned back to the water.

Annabeth's group sat back down, laughing and feeling accomplished. They had done their job. That smile had been exactly what they had been after.

Annabeth highfived Thalia and they got ready to see the race.

Percy leaned forward, and Annabeth could feel the tension build. She could feel her own nerves start to race, and she was just watching.

The starter went off, and everyone dove.

Percy was just impressive. That was the only word Annabeth could think of to describe him. He was a good head and shoulders in front of everyone easily. It was like the water parted for him, he cut through it. Everyone was beginning to cheer and Annabeth found herself calling his name as well.

He was the first to flip over and kick off the far wall and Annabeth screamed her lungs out. It had only been seconds, but she was already so invested in the race.

She leaned forward, growing more and more interested. Losing her balance for a moment, she probably would have tumbled into the row in front of her if Thalia hadn't grabbed her hoodie and pulled her back to her seat.

"Careful Blondie."

She said, her eyes never leaving the race.

All the swimmers were closing in on the end and Annabeth felt like she was going to explode. Percy was still in the lead, but it wasn't over till the first person touched the wall.

Percy's hand touched first, and Annabeth exploded into a cheer. She hadn't even made the decision to herself, it had just emerged from her.

Judging by the crowd, everyone else felt a similar way. Annabeth just leaned back in the seat, laughing. "That was pretty fun."

Piper just nudged her side. "I could tell, you were having when you almost dove into the water yourself."

Flushing red, Annabeth looked off to the side. "I can't believe Percy is so good. He was way ahead of the rest of them."

Jason just raised an eyebrow. "You really should pay more attention at school. It's not a secret that Percy's part fish. Everyone talks about it."

Annabeth nodded. "So how long till we see him?"

Piper paused, staring at Annabeth with confusion. "You do know that was only the Semi-Final right? Like, Percy got a pass to the semi's due to his time and this is just the first meet hosted, but he has another race.

Jaw dropping, Annabeth wasn't sure her heart could handle another race.

The rest of them seemed to be able to read her mind because they all started laughing.

Honestly, Annabeth had wanted a chance to say hi to Percy and congratulate him, but once again it seemed his teacher was keeping him isolated to keep him "in the game" much to her annoyance. But she supposed it if actually would help him do better, she could wait. Besides, it wasn't too often that the group was able to hang out outside of work. It had certainly taken a lot of shift trading, and pleading and bartering to get it to work.

They were all chatting happily between the heats. Luckily Percy's had been the second to last before the semi-finals so they didn't have to wait as long. Thalia had just finished answering a string of Leo's questions about the explosives she had been trained in, when the same muddied announcer called for the final race of the night.

The conversation trailed off and everyone turned their attention back to the pool.

This was it.

This was what the night was all about, what Percy had been training for before the season.

Annabeth was also pretty sure it would be the end of her based off the nerves she was feeling.

Percy walked out again and the group exploded into cheers again. Some part of her mind registered the fact that her throat was starting to be a little sore from all the cheering. The rest of her mind told that part to shut up though. That would be Tomorrow Annabeth's problem.

This time Percy was scanning the crowd for them, and offered them a big wave when they made eye contact. It was hard to tell by the distance, but Annabeth swore she saw a smirk on Percy's face.

He turned back to the water and got into position.

Glancing over, Annabeth saw Piper recording it on her phone. She raised an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure Sally is going to want to at least see a video." She offered, and it dawned on Annabeth that was probably true.

Jason leaned over, nudging Annabeth's shoulder. "You see his expression? Get ready for a show. They say when Jackson gets serious it's really something. I have a feeling he wants to show off for someone." He offered before sitting back.

Pointedly ignoring the implication, Annabeth did note that he seemed different. His usual relaxed posture was tightened up. He looked... coiled. Like all his muscles were ready to go off. He was perfectly still for once, almost looking mechanical.

All in all, he seemed "intense".

The starter went off and they all hit the water. This time Percy's lead was much less, but certainly not due to a lack of effort. No, in this bracket everyone seemed to be desperately going after the victory in their reach. Once again Annabeth found herself leaning forward, though she made a point to mind her balance.

The racers all sped across the pool, and this time Percy was the third person to touch the wall.

"COME ON PERCY!" She screamed out, practically willing him to go faster.

Jason just laughed, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Just wait for it."

Annabeth paused, unsure of what he meant until she noticed something. Percy was under water after the push for a lot longer than the others. By the time he surfaced, he had caught up with the others and was neck and neck.

But that wasn't all, Percy was actually faster than them. It was slow, but sure enough he was gaining a lead. As they neared the end of the pool, everyone was on their feet. Honestly, Annabeth wasn't even sure that what she was shouting was English anymore. She was just desperately trying to send any energy she could to Percy. Anything that could will him to finish just a second sooner.

The wake of the swimmers all seemed to meet the wall at the end at the same time and everyone froze. They couldn't tell who won. It was between around three swimmers.

"The winner is... PERCY JACKSON!" The announcer called out after a moment.

Annabeth felt tears build up in the corner of her eyes as she screamed out with all she had. "PERCY!"

Everyone else was also calling out to him. Percy just turned to them waving and laughing happily. Then, maybe it had just been a trick of Annabeth's mind, but she could almost believe that he had turned to look at her and grin specifically.

All Annabeth could do was pump her fist and cheer again.

Eventually the cheering died out, and the awards were given out. They all gave another round of cheers when Percy got his first place award.

The night eventually wound down after what felt like an eternity to Annabeth, and she realized it had been ages since she had had that much fun with everyone. Normally it was studying with Piper, or maybe a movie with Jason or a day shopping with Reyna when Chiron was in town and able to manage the place. She guessed the Halloween dinner had been the last time, but even it hadn't been quite so exciting.

When Percy finally left the lockers and was walking to them, Annabeth would blame the adrenaline that made her rush over to him and tackle him into a hug as she congratulated him. He had just laughed and spun her around, grinning.

"You guys came tonight!" He said, his voice dripping with appreciation and enthusiasm like he was about to start crying.

Taking a step back and ignoring the blush in her cheeks, she nudged Percy in the shoulder. "I can't believe you won."

The boy just rubbed the back of his neck and looked away sheepishly and Annabeth was pretty sure the feeling in her heart was just adrenaline and not a spiking level of affection for him.

"I guess I got lucky."

Jason stepped forward, punching him in the shoulder. "Please. You worked too hard to say that. Now come on, lets go get something to eat to celebrate."

Thalia just threw an arm over her brother's shoulders as she began to lead them out towards the parking lot. "It'll be my treat. To Shari's we go." She said.

As the group began to walk Percy and Annabeth fell into pace next to each other. "Don't forget to call your mom soon. I'm sure she's dying to hear the result." She offered, nudging him after a minute of silence.

Percy nodded, grinning. "I'll definitely do that after we eat."

Annabeth nodded, satisfied. They fell back into silence as they walked through the parking lot, a bit behind the rest of the group but the silence wasn't too uncomfortable.

Eventually everyone started piling into their cars and she paused next to Percy, feeling a surge of confidence rushing up in her.

Turning to her friend, she tried to will her heart rate to a normal level. "You did amazing tonight." She paused, before she punched his shoulder. "But don't you dare hide stuff like this from me again, okay? We're friends Percy. We're here for each other. Next time there's something important like this you better let me know right away." She threatened, though she couldn't keep the fond smile off her face.

It was hard to tell in the night, but she swore she could see a faint blush on Percy's cheeks. He nodded after a moment. "Got it."

Before she could talk herself out of it, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek quickly. "Great job tonight, you were really cool. I'll see you at the place."

Annabeth said before she turned quickly and fled to her car, quickly climbing in the driver seat, and resting her head on her steering wheel.

Did she really just do that?

"Nice moves girl." Piper's voice sounded out from beside her.

"BWAH!" Annabeth jumped, letting out a shriek as her hand flew up to her heart.

"Oh my gosh, Piper. You scared the shit outta me."

Piper just laughed, shrinking back a little sheepishly. "I figured you knew I was here. You did kind of give me a ride here after all."

Annabeth just dropped her head back down, wondering if scaring her half to death was a valid reason for firing her best friend.

She was about to say something when it dawned on her what Piper had said earlier.

"You saw that?"

Piper just laughing, reassuringly rubbing Annabeth's back. "I'm pretty sure everyone did."

Annabeth groaned, but started the engine. "I hate everything." She declared.

Laughing, Piper just patted her back. "If it makes you feel better, I'm pretty sure Percy is still standing there so it's not like you're the only one mortified. Now come on, I'm hungry. Let's get food~"

Shifting into gear, Annabeth decided that after tonight all she needed was a nice peaceful chance to relax.

Still, that smile Percy had given them when he first found out they were there was lingering in her heart. It was so warm and so bright, and just so _Percy_. Whatever embarrassment had happened this night, or confusion or whatever was definitely worth it to see that smile. Glancing over at Piper's amused but knowing smile, Annabeth realized all of her teasing might not have been totally of the mark after all. There was something about that raven haired goofball.

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Thank you for reading! Like I mentioned before, my schedule had kind of exploded but it should be back on track now. Hopefully less time between updates! Also sorry to anyone who actually knows about swim meets, I kind of winged it and went with basic googling for answers.


	7. The Return

Sorry for the delay! Art school and my work kinda took up my time, and I was more inspired to work on some other projects for a while. This chapter was also difficult to write for some reason. More after the chapter. Heads up, kind of a sensitive event happens in this chapter, and I did my best to write it. Take care when reading if you need to please.

XxXxXxXxX

Handing the cup of coffee to the customer, Percy let out a sigh and leaned against the counter once they turned and left. The day had been almost criminally slow. He wasn't sure what was up with it, the weather was even getting colder as they approached thanksgiving so he figured they would be increasingly busy. At least that was what everyone had warned him about. But no, today seemed to be devoid of more than a few customers entering at a time. That meant Annabeth was off in the back catching up on paperwork she had been putting off far too long, Piper and Jason were off to the side chatting and experimenting with new drink ideas while Percy was stuck standing at the counter, wondering how long he could go without blinking until the next customer came in.

That was the price to pay working at a cafe though. Some days you didn't get to rest until thirty minutes after your shift, and sometimes you were hoping every other coffee shop would go out of business just so you had something to do.

At one point, Ashe had wandered in alone, and that served as a good distraction for Percy for a few minutes. Thinking back, he was pretty sure that was the first time he had seen her enter the shop without her boyfriend with whom she seemed to be joined at the hip with. On slow days they usually could help pass the time with conversation or _something_ at least. But no, this time just Ashe had entered. Instead of ordering, she had just moved over to her usual table and sat down sulking.

"It's rude to stare." Piper informed him after a moment. Blinking, Percy realized he had been staring at her for a few minutes by that point as he tried to piece together what was going on. Ashe hadn't even noticed, having been to busy staring at her phone screen.

"Think they had a fight?" He offered with a slight tilt of his head.

Raising an eyebrow, Piper looked the raven haired girl over once. "Nah. I've seen them fight once before, both of them are a lot poutier and their fights are a joke. I doubt they've stayed mad at each other for more than a couple hours before." Piper offered with a fond roll of her eyes. "Those two are weird and actually 'talk their problems out'" Piper said as if the words offended her.

Percy laughed and nudged Piper's hip with his own. "Pretty sure that shouldn't be weird."

Piper shrugged. "Shouldn't be, but it is. Gotta have that sweet sweet drama, you know?" Piper rolled her eyes, clearly too experienced with dealing with other people's drama in the past.

Sympathetically patting her on the shoulder, Percy turned his attention back to her. "So what's the deal if they didn't fight then?"

Piper just paused for a moment, taking in the scene again. "Tyler is probably out running an errand. Told her to go on ahead and he'd catch up. Given the fact her face is glued to her phone that she usually hardly checks means she's probably waiting for a text from him or something. If they were expecting to be apart it wouldn't bother her as much. No, she's moping because their date is being delayed by something." Piper reasoned.

Glancing over at his friend, Percy realized that she was actually scary good at reading people. Her theory made perfect sense to Percy.

Percy was about to say something when he saw a guy get up from across the cafe and make a b-line towards Ashe. Eyes widening, he looked to Piper wondering if she was getting the same vibe he was from the guy. "Is he gonna..."

Piper nodded, her face a mixture of concern and amusement. "He's absolutely going to try and pick her up."

Frowning Percy crossed his arms. "Surely Ashe wouldn't..."

Piper's eyebrows raised. "I'm going to do you a favor and _not_ tell Ashe you even mentioned that. You think she'd even flirt with him back? I'm more concerned that in her bad mood she's going to deck him."

Percy raised his hands. "I didn't think she would! I just meant I hope he can take no for an answer."

Satisfied, Piper nodded. "Good answer. Let's hope he can." She muttered, clearly too invested in watching the approaching train wreck happening across the cafe.

The guy seemed a bit nervous, but had a grin plastered on his face as he walked across the cafe, his eyes focused on Ashe. Stopping in front of her table, he seemed to say something and gesture as if he was waiting for a response. Ashe made no indication she heard him, instead staring at her phone with that frown she still had on her face.

Percy winced, feeling a twinge of sympathy for that guy. Clearly he had no idea of the situation he was trying to get himself involved with.

The gut repeated whatever he said, and Ashe looked up with like a deer in the headlights look. Clearly she had just realized that the guy was there. She offered a sympathetic smile and greeted him. The guy seemed to repeat whatever his pick-up line was for the third time and Ashe tilted her head slightly.

Percy saw an apologetic look cross her face before she said something that clearly was an attempt and a gentle rejection.

"Shot down." Piper muttered under her breath.

Percy saw the man falter a bit, but straightened his back instead of sulking away. That was when Percy realized things weren't going to end there like they should. He said something else, and Ashe's face darkened slightly, though she was clearly plastering on a fake smile obviously. She said something with a firm look, another clear rejection. The man just leaned against her table, crossing his arms and saying something.

This seemed to set Ashe off as she suddenly stood up. " _WHAT_ did you say about my boyfriend?" Ashe's voice cut through the quiet cafe suddenly.

"Oh sh-" Piper immediately began trying to scramble around the counter. Percy was about to follow her but a customer walked up and he froze, unsure of what to do.

The man said something in a quieter tone, clearly caught off guard by Ashe standing up and getting in his face.

"I don't care who the hell you think you are!" Ashe snapped, clenching her fists.

Annabeth emerged from the backroom eyes panicked. "Did someone seriously set off Ashe?" She asked Percy as she began to make her way over to the situation, hoping to prevent some poor guy from getting his ass beat by an MMA fighter.

Percy took the order of the college girl who seemed blissfully unaware of the brawl that was about to break out as he split his attention between not messing up the transaction and watching to see what would happen.

The wanna-be smooth guy stepped back, clearly not wanting to push the point any further, but judging by his look around he was starting to feel defensive.

Before Ashe could continue, or either of his coworkers could intervene there was a door jingle and a familiar mop of raven hair entered.

"If you get a record they'll kick you out of the tournament." Tyler's voice chimed in in a slightly teasing, if not warning tone as he made his way across the cafe with his stoic smile still intact.

Ashe turned at his voice, her eyes lighting up as she grinned. She moved past the guy, brushing his shoulder roughly as she wrapped an arm around her boyfriend's waist possessively.

Percy dropped a few cubes of ice onto the ground as his eyes remained glued on the scene off to the side, unaware of the annoyed sigh the college girl was giving him for taking so long with the drink.

Finally able to hear snippets of the conversation, the guy just scoffed.

"Whatever. Bitch is too crazy for me anyway."

Ashe just glared at him, but Tyler actually took a step towards him until Ashe's grip tightened around his waist and physically held him in place. "Down boy." She muttered to her boyfriend though she clearly wanted to take a piece out of the sexist asshole herself.

Tyler just squared his shoulders and lead them back to their usual booth. "You should leave." Tyler warned him as they passed, clearly done with the situation.

"You can't tell me to." The guy muttered defiantly.

"No, but I can." Annabeth's voice cut in with a tone that didn't leave any room for discussion. "Leave. Now."

A shiver went down Percy's spine. In someways her calm tone was even scarier than Ashe's angry one. Annabeth was still definitely on the list of people Percy did not want to cross.

The guy seemed to get the message and scampered out of the coffee shop, complaining how the drinks "tasted like shit anyway" and all that.

Finally able to finish the drink and hand it to the college girl who had opted to furiously type on her phone, probably tweeting about how horrible the place was, Percy was honestly a bit glad for the distraction. The day felt just a bit more alive at least.

Off to the side he saw an apologetic looking Ashe apologizing to Annabeth, who just brushed her off and offered her own apology for the customer. After a minute more of small talk, both parties seemed satisfied with their apology and Tyler and Ashe retreated back to their usual table, flirting and being even more lovey-dovey than usual.

"Well that was something." Piper said as she slid back next to Percy at the counter.

Percy hummed in acknowledgment. "That killed some time at least."

Piper nodded, still staring at the two in the corner. "Look at them. They make me sick." She said fondly as she watched the couple holding hands and staring at each other with eyes that seemed too pure for this world.

Percy just laughed. "She looks like a love-struck puppy, when a minute ago I was pretty sure she was going to shove that guy's foot somewhere it should never go."

Piper nodded. "Women are tough. Don't mess with them." A sly smirk crossed her face. "When you finally get around to asking _her_ out, making sure you read the signs and it'll go much better."

Percy stared at her for a second, confused until she pieced it together. "Piper! I'm not-" Before he could properly rant, the door chimed and Piper switched to customer service mode as she cheerfully greeted the new customer leaving Percy annoyed and plastering on a smile of his own.

The day seemed to crawl on at a slow pace, the day's entertainment seemingly having already happened. Percy was starting to wonder what the odds were that Annabeth would send one of them home. After a few more moments of contemplating his life choices, Percy saw Annabeth approach him with a sympathetic smile.

"Take a break. Have an extra ten minutes, nothing's going on after all. Feel free to stretch your legs."

Percy grinned thankfully before signing out of his register and heading back towards the break room. Letting out a yawn, he fished around his cluttered locker, digging for his phone. Finally grabbing it, he saw two missed calls from his mom. Eyes widening, Percy felt his heart starting to beat faster. Why would his mom call him twice? Normally it was a text, or she'd wait till he was off work. Something had to be wrong.

He unlocked his phone and was about to call her when the phone rang again. His mom's name flashed on the screen and he answered it quickly.

"Hello?" He asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice in case everything was normal.

Percy was pretty sure he thought of every possible bad answer he could have gotten to the question, but he had missed one.

"Gabe is back."

Backing up, Percy's eyes widened as he felt his body slam into the lockers. "What?"

Sally took a deep breath, clearly trying to stay calm and composed. "He's outside right now, slamming on the door. I called the cops and they're on their way. Whatever you do, stay at work. I'll be okay, they'll be here soon."

"Mom! Are you sure you're okay?" Percy could feel his pulse pounding in his temple as horrible memories flashed back through his mind.

"I'm fine." Sally said in a reassuring tone, but the slightest tone of hesitation set Percy off.

"Grab the bat, and hide in the closet if you need to till the cops get there. I'm heading over."

"Percy! Do-" Percy hung up the phone as he burst out of the break room. There was no time to argue, his drunken asshole of a stepdad was trying to mess up their quiet little life again.

Apparently his entrance into the rest of the cafe had been a little more dramatic than he had expected because the rest of the staff turned to look at him with alarm.

"I need to go! I'm sorry. There's no time. I'll just-"

Percy patted his jeans pockets before his eyes widened in realization.

"FUCK!" He shouted loudly. He had gotten a ride from his mom today instead of driving, he didn't have his car.

Piper and Jason moved over towards him hesitantly, having abandoned the registers out of apparent concern for their coworker seemingly having a breakdown.

"Percy?" Piper's voice was gentle and cautious, clearly unsure of what was going on.

There wasn't time to explain to them! He just needed a car. He _needed_ to get home.

"I left my car at home! Fuck! Why today of all days?"

Percy snapped at no one in particular as he ran a hand through his hair anxiously. Could he run? It would take too long. Before he could fret anymore he felt a strong grip on his arm stop him and turn him around.

"Percy! Talk to me. What's wrong?" Annabeth's voice was clearly dripping with concern, but it held a level of calm control that Percy had come to admire in his friend. Ever so slightly he felt the chaos in his brain align just a bit.

"It's Gabe." Percy said trying to figure out how to phrase things.

Annabeth stared at him in confusion for a moment before she remembered the name. Her eyes widened in horror.

"Where?"

"My apartment. My mom called... he's rampaging outside or something. She called the cops but..."

Annabeth took one look at Percy, before ripping off her managerial tag. She tossed the tag and keys to Piper. "There's an emergency, I'm taking Percy home real quick. You're in charge, call Reyna if you need to." Annabeth ordered before she turned, grabbing Percy's hand and quickly rushed out of the store. Percy knew Annabeth trusted Piper more than anyone else probably, and knew that she could practically run the store herself at this point.

Annabeth just lead Percy out towards her car, already fishing her keys out of her pocket and quickly starting the engine. Percy saw her about to peel out of the parking lot when she looked at him.

"Where...?"

It dawned on him that she had never actually been to his apartment before. Some part of his mind registered the fact that he really wished it had been under better circumstances. Quickly giving her his address, they sped across the city.

Percy had learned Annabeth was pretty good driver, and he was incredibly thankful for that at the moment because he was pretty sure there was no way the speed they were going was legal, at all. Percy tightened his grip on the handle in Annabeth's car a little more. He just stared ahead, occasionally offering her some directions to keep her on the fastest route.

"Sorry." He muttered out, taking shaky deep breaths.

As they reached a red light, Annabeth turned and shot him a surprisingly sharp glare. "Don't you even start." She snapped. "What's your plan when we get there? Do you think he will be dangerous?"

Percy paused, looking surprisingly solemn. "I... I don't know. He's never tried to violate the restraining order, but last I heard he was in Jail. I guess he just got out. He's probably drunk... but I don't know. I just can't do nothing though."

Annabeth shared a serious look with him, feeling her own heart start to pound.

The light turned green and Annabeth slammed on the gas.

Percy looked around at the familiar buildings, seeming them approaching their destination. His body and mind were overloaded, he didn't know how to feel or what to think. His hands were shaking slightly, and whatever plan he tried to form in his head just fell to pieces as his train of thought jumped to something else. The only thing he knew is that he _had_ to be there for his mom. No matter what.

Annabeth pulled into the parking lot and Percy ripped off his seat belt. Before Annabeth could even fully bring the car to a stopped he had jumped out, stumbling a few steps before he took off into a dead sprint towards their apartment. Before he could see it, he could hear the drunken yelling.

"GET OUT HERE." His slurred voice called out.

A shiver went down his spine, he knew that drunken tone all too well and it still haunted his dreams occasionally. Doing what he did best, he rushed forward following his gut rather than trying to think things through. Sprinting towards the door, he saw _him_ again.

Gabe was a pretty large guy, with a larger gut. His hair seemed to be doing even worse, and his few years in jail definitely hadn't done any favors for him. He was waving a beer bottle around in one hand.

"HEY!" Percy bellowed out as he slowed to a stop. Honestly Percy wasn't sure how he expected to feel when he saw him. Scared? Shocked? Angry? Disappointed?

All Percy felt was a deep rage.

Gabe turned to him, glaring at him. "Look who it is, you're all grown up."

"Leave. Now."

"This is none of your business." Gabe said, before turning back and slamming his fist on the door. "Open up!"

"I said leave!" Percy repeated, storming towards him. He wasn't the same boy that used to be tormented. He had caught up to Gave in height, and swimming had done wonders for his physique. He was no longer scared of the angry old man in front of him.

"Percy?" Sally's muffled voice came from the other side of the door.

"Mom, it's okay." Percy called.

"Aren't you full of yourself?" Gabe called, before he shoved Percy hard.

Stumbling back a few steps, he winced as his back collided with the railing of the staircase up to the next floor.

"Percy!" Annabeth's voice rang out, clearly furious.

Unable to hold back, Percy stepped forward and shoved Gabe hard. He wanted to do worse, but he held himself back. Not for Gabe's sake, but for his own.

In Gabe's drunken state his coordination was a lot worse than Percy's and he stumbled and fell down. Clambering back to his feet, his eyes were blazing in rage.

"Leave." Percy repeated, ignoring his mom's protests from the other side of the door. He could hear her starting to unlock the door. "Mom, st-"

Before he could continue there was an explosion of glass next to him. He winced as he felt shards of glass cut his arm and cheek. Percy turned to look at Gabe who had just thrown his bottle, but before he could say anything his face exploded in pain. He stumbled backwards as he clutched his eye, right where Gabe had just punched him.

"Percy!" Annabeth shouted, finally catching up to him. She turned to Gabe, shouting at him with shaking fists. "Leave him alone!"

The sound of sirens blared as the cops finally showed up. Just then Percy turned and swung a hook at Gabe, catching him in the jaw and sending him crashing to the ground. The door flung open and Sally emerged, wrapping her arms around Percy protectively. "Percy! Are you okay?"

The cops came running onto the scene, having seen the scuffle between Percy and Gabe.

"What's going on!" The demanded, clearly trying to figure out the situation.

"This asshole won't leave us alone!" Percy snapped, wincing as he held his head, ignoring the stinging from the small lacerations the glass caused.

"Shh... it's okay now." Sally soothed him, and Percy felt the adrenaline slowly starting to leave his body. Glancing over, he saw the cops had isolated Gabe, while another of them talked to Annabeth who was clearly the most level-headed person in the situation. Percy was grateful that she was here. He was still to upset to properly give an account of the situation, and judging by his mom's expression when she saw him bleeding, she wasn't doing that well either.

A few minutes later, and Percy saw Gabe getting a pair of handcuffs slapped around his wrists. The cop stopped to ask him and his mom questions, but they pretty much only confirmed what Annabeth had explained already. Sally sent Annabeth and himself inside, telling Annabeth to check his injuries while she finished talking to the cops. Percy was about to protest, but the reassuring smile she gave him once again proved how tough his mom really was. She already had her feet back underneath her and was talking to the cops calmly, and seemingly at the moment was the most worried about his small cuts and forming bruise on his face. He finally relented, and Annabeth lead him inside while she looked for a first aid kit. After telling her where it was, Percy just sat down and tried to relax. There was too much going through his mind. Honestly, he had hoped he never would have had to see Gabe's face again.

Annabeth finished applying basic first aid to his cuts, and Percy just offered her a weak smile as thanks.

A frown crossed Annabeth's face, and suddenly she knelt down so she was eye level to Percy sitting.

"Hey, look at me." Annabeth said in a gentle tone. Percy met her eyes, and she offered him a soft smile.

"Are you okay?" She asked after a moment.

Percy nodded. "The cuts weren't that bad. Mostly just shallow ones."

Annabeth shook her head, resting her hand over his gently. "That's not what I meant. Are you okay?"

Was he? Honestly, Percy wasn't sure. "It's... a lot to process." He said after a moment honestly. "But Gabe is going away again, and I don't think he's coming back. Mom is okay... I think I'll be fine."

Annabeth just smiled and squeezed his hand gently. "You'll be fine. I know you will. Both you and your mom are wonderful, strong people, and Gabe is out of your life for good now."

"Your friend is smart." Sally's voice said suddenly, causing them both to look up.

Percy knew his mom better than anyone, so he could tell how she was really doing. She was holding up surprisingly well, she was in her "mom" mode, where she could handle anything, and her number one priority was taking care of him.

Annabeth stood up, releasing his hand and took a step back. "Are you okay Mrs. Jackson?"

Sally just smiled. "Sally, dear. And I am, thank you. It was scary, but he's gone now. The cops are going to arrest him for violating the restraining order, and we won't be seeing him again most likely. He was also still on parole when this happened."

Another wave of relief crashed through Percy, Gabe really would be gone from their lives this time. He stood up, feeling a surprising wave of exhaustion pass through him as the absence of adrenaline took it's toll.

Annabeth scooted out of the way. "I think I'll head back now. You two should probably take it easy..." She muttered a bit awkwardly, clearly feeling like she was intruding now.

Percy glanced between his mom and Annabeth. "About work..."

Before he could even form another word, Annabeth let out an annoyed sigh. "Are you serious Percy? You think I'd _let_ you come back to work? Stay home. You're also not allowed to come in tomorrow either, Jason will cover for you. Or I will, someone will. Just take it easy, okay?"

Nodding, Percy once again appreciated how good of a friend and boss Annabeth was. "Can you tell the rest of the crew that I'm okay? I'm sure they'll be worried."

Annabeth nodded. "Of course. But if they ask what happened..." Annabeth muttered, clearly trying to figure out where the line of information was.

Sharing a glance with his mom, Percy shrugged. "Just tell them the truth. Don't lie to them for my sake. "

Annabeth nodded, but he had a feeling she would still be reserved with what information she passed along.

Hesitating for only a moment, he opened his arms. Annabeth seemed to get the hint, and stepped forward and wrapped him in a tight hug. "You'll be okay." Was all she said gently near his ear, and Percy believed it.

After a moment they separated, and Annabeth shared a hug with Sally. Sally once again thanked her, and promised her cookies for her help, before Annabeth waved goodbye and left them alone.

A little while later, and both Sally and himself were once again in their usual spots on the couch, eating dinner as they watched Dancing with the Stars. They were both clearly a little shaken from the day still, and Percy's face was still throbbing, but they knew they would be okay.

An hour later when Percy's phone exploded with messages of concern and checking in, he realized he really had gotten lucky with his knew friends and work place. After a brief conversation with his mom, they had finalized plans to bring in an assortment of cookies and candy on his next shift as thanks to everyone. For now though, he was just happy to relax with his mom and let the past bury itself.

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Thank you for reading once again! I really appreciate it. Sorry for the delay, like I mentioned before my life has just been full of work, and other distractions. I work on this story when I'm inspired to, and I have free time to, so updates aren't exactly as frequent as I like, but that's how it is. I know it's not as frequent as many of you would like, and I apologize for that. I won't give up on this story, no matter how long it takes between chapters.

Also, please do not comment on my other stories asking about this story. Each story I post here is because I really enjoyed how it turned out, versus everything I post to my Tumblr, and I really would prefer not to be pestered about this one in the reviews of other stories. Not many of you do it, but it still kind of kills my desire to write this when that happens.

Anyway, venting aside, I do hope to update more frequently. This was one of those tough chapters that was hard to force out for some reason, but the next few should be lighter pieces to write hopefully.


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